Codename: PUKAT
by Baxter54132
Summary: Pair Up Karin And Toshiro. The bet is on! Rukia versus Ichigo. Rukia has one week to get Toshiro and Karin togethor. Ichigo has one week to stop her. HitsuKarin IchiRuki. T for safety. Complete!
1. The Bet Is Set

This is dedicated to Rain From The Frosted Heavens.

Happy Birthday!

This story was originally intended to be only around 10 chapters, but has since become larger.

I am officially rewriting, meaning some fine touch up and possible changes are going to be occurring.

I hope you all enjoy reading this for the first time, or rereading it.

* * *

Time frame: Aizen has long been defeated, Ichigo just graduated high school and Karin is just entering. It is the summer before Ichigo leaves for college.

Karin is 14

Ichigo is 18

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of Bleach (or my one mention of Naruto) they belong to their respective creators.

* * *

It is a typical day in the Kurosaki household, Yuzu is cooking, Karin is playing soccer outside, Isshin is saving lives, and Ichigo is arguing with Rukia.

An intense battle of the mind!

Ichigo leans against his closed closet door, scowl deepening as he tries to intimidate the short girl in front of him. She ignores his efforts as she swings her feet back and forth confidently while sitting on his bed.

"You'll never pull it off," growls Ichigo, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Rukia smirks and pushes off the bed with her hands, taking a step closer to Ichigo, "Was that a threat? No matter… they are already so close together that all they need is a little nudge in the right direction."

Ichigo can't help but scoff, "No way, Karin would never be into someone like him. Besides, he lives in the soul society, and Karin lives here."

"Are you willing to bet on it? Karin is a substitute soul reaper." Rukia extends her right hand to shake. "One week, I try to get Karin and Toshiro together, you try to keep them apart. Loser has to jump off of the main bridge in soul reaper form, naked."

Ichigo pauses for a moment to think about it. "I know Karin quite well, and I can guarantee my victory." Without hesitation Ichigo clasps Rukia's hand, giving it a firm shake.

Both smile confidently, but neither can foresee what a crazy week is ahead of them.

So Codename PUKAT is born, let me spell it out for you

Pair

Up

Karin

And

Toshiro

In other words, PUKAT. (pronounced like poo-cat)

_Day 1_

The first step to every good matchmaking plan is to find out how the victims erm… subjects feel about each other. Toshiro's a little far away right now, so Rukia decides to start with Karin. There are only a few places Karin could possibly be, so Rukia heads towards the park.

Naturally, Karin is playing soccer with her friends. Rukia sits down on the bleachers to watch.

Karin has the ball, she dribbles towards the net and passes it to her waiting teammate. He easily one-shots it into the net and goes crazy with excitement. Rukia chuckles to herself when Karin and her other teammates mob the guy who scored.

Rukia is distracted from the celebration when her phone vibrates in her pocket. She pulls it out and flips it open. Inside, a mini map appears with a small light flashing about a quarter mile away. She snaps her phone shut and pulls out her soul candy.

Popping one in, she notices that Karin is looking worriedly at the sky with her phone loosely gripped in her hand. Her other hand is stuffed into her pants pocket, probably searching for her soul candy.

After making sure her gigai was secure, Rukia runs across the field to Karin's side. "I can handle the hollow, you stay here and keep your friends safe."

Karin grumbles a reluctant, "fine," before stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

Rukia shunpos away and goes to exterminate the hollow. She arrives in a timely matter, but the area is strangely hollow free. She pulls out her phone, very confused when it still shows a dot signifying a hollow's presence.

A chuckle echoes across the field and Rukia looks up to see certain carrot top strawberry smirking at her.

"Did you take out the hollow?" she asks, now shaking her phone as if it is broken.

Ichigo's smirk grows even wider as he stuffs his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, "What hollow? There wasn't anything here. Why did you come here?"

A moment passes, then Rukia's eyes narrow in realization. "You messed with the hollow radar!" she accuses and points a finger angrily for emphasis.

"That's a pretty harsh accusation."

"I'll show you harsh!" Rukia rushes across the clearing and promptly slams her foot into Ichigo's shin.

"Ow! Freaking midget… what was that for?"

Rukia scoffs, "You know what that was for, you ruined my chance to talk to Karin. Now she's probably gone. I will get back at you for this Ichigo, count on it. Now, I have to go fetch my gigai."

Rukia shunpo's away from Ichigo before he can respond, heading back to the park.

Back at the field, Karin is surprisingly still there, sitting in utter silence with Rukia's gigai. When Karin catches sight of Rukia she jumps up, relieved to have another person present.

Rukia says hello as she slides back into her gigai. "Did your friends go home?"

Karin nods, "yea, they had to go to dinner. I decided to wait for you since it didn't appear that your gikongan wanted to move, and whenever I tried to talk to her, all she said was "hop"."

Rukia laughs, "She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. That's alright though."

Karin nods and reaches into her back pocket, pulling out her soul candy, "I found it as soon as you left," she says sheepishly.

"I'm surprised you didn't come after me."

"I just, wanted to finish the game…" Karin's voice trails off and she shifts her gaze to the soccer field.

_Time to change the topic!_

"Karin… do you like playing soccer here a lot?"

"Sure," Karin smiles thinking about all the great times she's had on the soccer field, "playing soccer with everyone is loads of fun."

Rukia nods eagerly, liking what she is hearing. "Do you think there is anything else?"

Karin shakes her head, "I don't know what you mean."

Rukia sighs, "I mean… do you like anyone on your soccer team?"

Karin almost chokes on her spit, "What! No way!"

Rukia busts out laughing at Karin's reaction, "Really? You aren't even a little interested in any of them? Not even a certain white haired captain that played on the team a few years ago?"

A light blush hits Karin's cheeks as she thinks about this, much to Rukia's amusement.

"Toshiro? No way! I've never even thought about him in that way!" Karin blurts out as she forces her blush to recede.

Of course it is obvious to Rukia that Karin is lying.

Having the answer that she wanted, Rukia drops the topic and stands up, stretching out her stiff gigai. "Let's head home." Rukia jumps down the bleacher steps and starts walking towards the Kurosaki home.

Karin jumps up and runs to catch up to Rukia, "Wait up! What about you? Are you interested in any guys?"

Rukia chuckles, "Not really. Boy's in the real world are so dumb, and so young."

"Not even Ichi-nii?" Karin gazes at Rukia curiously, as if this were a sincere question.

Rukia shakes her head, "Not even Ichigo, your brother and I are just good friends."

"Suuure…" Karin drops it, but you can tell she doesn't buy what Rukia said.

The two girls fall silent for the rest of the walk. They arrive home shortly and Rukia says goodbye to Karin before heading up to Ichigo's room. Ichigo is inside, reading the manga "Naruto."

Ichigo peeks over his book, turning his glare on when he realizes it's Rukia. "What do you want?" he asks harshly.

Rukia ignores him as she pops open his closet door and plops down on the small bed that is hidden inside. She leans her head on the back wall and allows a small smile to creep across her face. Ichigo's glare intensifies and he repeats his question. "What? Just tell me midget!"

"Is that anyway to talk to a lady?"

No response.

Rukia's smile grows larger, "she likes him." She says and watches as Ichigo's face contorts with anger.

"Don't make such an ugly face Ichigo."

"You got a definite yes out of her?" The manga book shuts loudly, and Ichigo focuses solely on Rukia.

Without answering, Rukia jumps up and skips out of the room, pleased that she was able to rile up Ichigo so easily. She slides out of the Kurosaki household and starts to walk to Urahara's Shoten. Time to find a phone to the soul society.

Wait a moment… cell phone.

Rukia pulls out her phone and dials the main line.

"Hello?" A masculine, but girly voice comes out of the speaker.

"Rin, is that you?"

"Uh… yea"

"Great, I need some assistance down in Karakura. We have had a lot of hollows lately and I heard that the 10th squad is pretty free."

"One second," Rukia hears a quick tap tap on a keyboard and a few clicks, "Yes they are free, uh… let me talk to the officials real quick."

About five minutes later Rin comes back to the phone, "We are sending Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto to assist you. They will be arriving this evening."

"Thanks Rin, see you around!" Rukia flips the phone shut happily.

With all of her tasks cleared for the day, Rukia heads out to find a chappy store. Who can resist cute bunnies?

* * *

That concludes chapter one. All done with the editing!

The next chapter will have the end of day one and all of day two.

Stay tuned!


	2. Rangiku Gets Involved

This story is wholly and completely towards Rain From The Frosted Heavens so I really hope you guys like it.

Thank you Ziryx for extra editing help with this chapter! You guys should check out his story. I'm beta-reading it.

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine…. How sad

Mature me uses real lines! :D

* * *

_The same night_

Rangiku Matsumoto happily skips down the row of shops, peeking into each window as she goes. "Taiichooo!" she sings joyously, "aren't you happy to be in the human world?" She glances back at her captain. He is slowly following her, slouched like a teenager. If Rangiku didn't know better, she might ask if he were a grade student. He was wearing his typical polo, only 2 sizes larger. Time was good on the tenth squad captain. When he stood up straight he was almost six feet tall. Slouching, like he is currently, he rests at around 5'8. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and keeps his eyes trained dead ahead. "Why would I be excited? The human world is dull in comparison to the Soul Society."

"Really? There isn't anything special you want to do here? Anyone you want to see?"

"What are you suggesting Matsumoto?"

"Nothing Taicho… I just remember a few years back when I caught you stalking a young girl."

"Rangiku…." Toshiro glares at Rangiku threateningly, silently daring her to continue.

"Kurosaki's sister wasn't she? Did you think she was cute?"

"No! I was just interested in her spiritual pressure. It's just like her brothers…" Toshiro's glare intensifies as a tick mark pulses dangerously on his forehead. "I'm leaving, I have to find us a place to stay."

"I know where we can stay, let's ask Orihime! It's not like she would say no." Rangiku bubbles as her thoughts drift to Orihime's cooking.

Toshiro sighs as he thinks about the same cooking, "fine… you'll ask her?"

"Hai Taicho!"

"Good," Toshiro glances up at the setting sun, "I'll meet you there later."

Rangiku nods and Toshiro walks away silently. He walks for a bit and finds himself at the park. No one is there so he heads down to his favorite spot by the railing and watches the sun set.

Back with Rangiku (one-sided conversation)

*Ring ring!*

"Hello?

Oh hey Rukia! What's up, you wanna go drinking?

No… oh well, what can I do for you

PUKAT? What a dumb name

Kidding….

Haha, that sounds awesome

I would love to help!

Soccer game tomorrow morning? Sure I'll make sure that he's up!

See ya soon, if you change your mind about the drinking…

Oh… she hung up on me…"

*Click*

* * *

Day 2 begins!

Toshiro wakes up to the wonderful sound of a fire alarm ringing throughout the Inoue household. He jumps up and runs into the kitchen, patting down his tangled hair. Inside is a laughing Rangiku and a blushing Orihime. In Rangiku's hands is a fire alarm, which Rangiku had just pulled off the wall. Orihime reaches for it and Rangiku passes it over. Orihime presses a small button on the bottom of the alarm and it bleep bloops once before shutting off.

"What happened?" asks Toshiro as he examines the room. His eyes land on a small oven. It has fumes of smoke sneaking out of the cracks and doesn't look very happy. (can a machine look unhappy?) He sees that the temperature dial on the oven is turned all the way up to max.

Toshiro rubs the sleep out of his eyes as Rangiku opens the door on the stove. Angry black smoke pours out and fills the room. Orihime sighs as she gazes at the pan that is sitting inside the oven. "I'm so sorry guys, I was making you my specialty but I guess I cooked it too much." She slides on some oven mitts and pulls the pan out. It is what appears to be a black layer of some kind of cracker. Burned to a crisp, but a cracker nonetheless.

"What is it?" Toshiro asks, even though he doesn't really want to know.

"Its crackers, salsa, bean paste, and chocolate!"

Rangiku looks wistfully at the burnt food and pokes her finger against it experimentally, "doesn't that sound good Taicho?" The top cracks at Rangiku's touch and more smoke plumes up from the insides.

Orihime dumps the pan into the sink, she'll clean it up later. "How about cereal instead?" she suggests.

"Ooh!" shouts Rangiku, "What kinds do you have."

Orihime's face lights up, forgetting about the burnt food, "I have captain crunch, fruit loops…"

As Orihime babbles on, Toshiro's phone goes off in his pocket. Pulling it out, he makes brief eye contact with his lieutenant. He nods, signaling that he can deal with any problem. He flips open his phone and the mini map pops up. A dot flickers onto it, a little larger than normal but still a dot.

Must be a menos, maybe an Adjucha.

Toshiro pops in his soul candy and quickly shunpos to the menos's location. He reaches a neighborhood and runs through the rows of houses before skidding to a halt. He glances around, but see's nothing.

The second floor window of a near by house slides open and an older teen almost falls out in surprise, "Toshiro?"

"That's Hitsugaya-taicho to you Kurosaki!" Toshiro snarls in annoyance.

Ichigo slides out of his bedroom window and onto the roof, "What are you doing here?" he asks, a tint of suspicion on his voice.

"I came to take out the menos, but it looks like you beat me to it."

"What menos?"

"Oi!" a female shouts from down the road.

Ichigo peeks down the road and sees Rukia running towards them, waving her arm in the air rapidly. He smirks, she's probably here for the hollow too.

"Your too late midget. The menos is long gone"

Rukia reaches the house and jumps up onto the ledge with one smooth leap. "What menos? Oh hey Toshiro!"

Ichigo's smirk slides off of his face, "What?"

"You heard me, there wasn't a hollow here was there?"

Ichigo glares at the midget and sparks crackle as their eyes meet, "You didn't…"

Rukia smiles evily, "You aren't the only one who can mess with the phones, but I know how to only send it to one instead of the whole network."

"You!"

"Hey!" Toshiro cuts in on the argument, "What is going on here?"

Rukia jumps down to Toshiro's level, "Nothing you need too worry about Hitsugaya-taciho. How about we take a walk?"

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo interjects, "didn't you promise Karin that you would drive her to her big soccer game today?"

_Karin still plays soccer?_

Rukia glances at her watch in fake surprise, "Oh yea…" she glances up at the tenth squad captain before continuing, "I have an idea! Hey Toshiro, do you want to come along?"

"Isn't there a surge of hollows that need to be taken care of?" asks Toshiro, naturally thinking of his job before leisure time.

Rukia shrugs, "that's what I thought too but then I found out that it was just Ichigo this whole time."

"I don't see why not then… when are we leaving?" Toshiro glances at his own watch.

"As soon as Karin comes outside." Bubbles Rukia. She turns away from Toshiro and sticks her tongue out at Ichigo. He glares back, but doesn't make a face.

As if on cue, the front door to the Kurosaki household swings open and Karin Kurosaki steps out, dressed in her uniform, soccer ball in hand. "Ready to go Rukia?" she asks excitedly. Then she notices their new guest. "Toshiro?"

"What is it with you Kurosakis? Is it in your handbook? It's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"Yea yea, whatever Shiro. So what are you doing around these parts?"

Rukia pops open the car door while answering, "He's coming to watch you play soccer Karin!"

A smile crosses Karin's face, "that's great! You can see me kick some RSH butt! That's who we're playing today."

Toshiro nods and reluctantly climbs into the backseat of the truck. Karin clambers into the other seat and Rukia settles into the driver seat. A door clicks open and Ichigo slides into the front seat.

"Who invited you?" hisses Rukia quietly into Ichigo's ear.

"Karin did, right Karin?" Ichigo cranes his neck to look at Karin. She nods and clicks her seatbelt into place.

Everyone does the same and Rukia starts the 30-minute drive up to Richen County.

The drive is peaceful; Karin uses most of the time by filling Toshiro in on what he missed these past three years, accompanied by a burst of anger at why he didn't visit sooner. He just shrugs and listens like a good friend would.

In the front seat Ichigo stews angrily, taking random moments to glare at Toshiro, who ignores it. They arrive and Karin jumps out of the truck. "Thanks for the ride Rukia, I gotta go meet up with the team. Thanks for coming Toshiro, now you can see how real soccer players play." She runs over to where her friends are gathering, all of them wearing matching uniforms. They gather around Karin and Toshiro takes a moment to see how they changed. Taller, maybe more mature, but wait… aren't there supposed to be five members on a team. Toshiro goes through them again, but only comes up with three guys plus Karin.

Ichigo glares at Toshiro, "What are you looking at?"

Toshiro points over at Karin and her friends, "Aren't there supposed to be five of them?"

Ichigo nods and drops his hostility for a moment. He counts them and comes up with the same number. "Strange…"

Karin breaks away from her friends and runs back over. She no longer looks excited and a small bead of sweat is making its way down her face.

"What's wrong?" asks Ichigo, his brotherly instinct kicking in.

"Shidan isn't coming, now we don't have enough members! Damn it!"

"It's okay, we'll think of something." Ichigo glances around and his eyes settle on Toshiro. He keeps going and tries to think of a different idea.

Rukia notices the brief interaction. "What if Toshiro plays for you?" she suggests, "we all know that he can play."

A glimmer of hope appears on Karin's face. She looks up and her eyes connect with Toshiro's. "Fine…" he grumbles, "I'll play."

"All right!"

The whole parking lot freezes and dozens of eyes are suddenly on the Kurosaki family and friends.

A tick mark appears on Toshiro's head, "Don't you have other things to be doing?" he asks, glaring into the mob. They quickly start chattering with their friends when the air temperature drops a few degrees.

* * *

Review Replies! Thanks for your support everyone, yes if you read these stories in the past, review replies are at the bottom now, just scroll past them to review ;)

meg s- nope, there isn't a hollow increase. You'll just have to wait and find out ^_-

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya901- I definitely see Rangiku playing an important role in the story!

Lolita- lol

DrowningintheOcean- Ichigo might lose… or he might not… I'll still be a while until we reach the conclusion. I'll take a look for my spelling mistakes and try to avoid making them at all when I type this chapter up.

lazyguy90- thank you :D

oOoHKoOo- I'm glad that the summary did it's job, I thought about it for a while before putting it up. Unfortunately, me and describing scenery don't see eye to eye. I don't read stuff like that and I guess it shows in my writing…

theblueturtle6- ah, no… that would be a short story wouldn't it? Although… then we could skip straight to the part where Ichigo jumps off of the bridge.

Ziryx- you can't wait? Too bad! You have to… thanks for reviewing

Flipomatic- I can imagine that Rukia is very competitive, would you want to jump off a bridge naked?

Sayo-chan64- *bows* don't worry, your not being a nag. I didn't know about the line thing although if you go - - - - across the screen I think it will insert one automatically when you download it.

KittyRiotVT-OC- what does EP mean? Lol…

Hazel Eyes401- I'm glad you like it!

the City is at War- me too, deadline making is one of those things that I'm really trying to get better at.

This is the conclusion of:

Review Replies!

That's all for this round.

I'll probably be skipping the soccer game and just skip to the time afterwards.


	3. Rukia In Action

Chapter 3 begins!

Sorry that this took so long, I had finals this week and didn't really have any time to get anything done.

Edit: I added an extra s in Isshin's name. (It was previously Ishin)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! If only….

* * *

30 seconds left on the clock, the score 4-0. Toshiro dribbles the ball and passes it to Karin who takes it farther up the field.

25 seconds, Karin slides around a defensemen before sliding the ball back over to Toshiro.

20 seconds, Toshiro takes an easy kick at the net and the goalie grabs it, but fumbles it back out into play.

15 seconds, Karin grabs the ball and loops around, trying to get in good shooting position.

10 seconds, the largest, meanest defensemen charges across the field towards Karin, almost reaches her too.

5 seconds, Toshiro jumps between the defensemen and Karin, giving her enough time to launch the soccer ball towards the net.

1 second, it's a goal! Karakura wins 5-0!

0 seconds, but who is really still watching the timekeeper?

Karin jumps up and down excitedly, "That was amazing To…" she turns around to celebrate with Toshiro, but pauses as he has his fist drawn back angrily. The defensemen is laughing and poking Toshiro with his index finger.

"What? Are you defending your girlfriend? I could take you easy!"

That is the last thing that the defensemen will say for the day because with one swift punch, he is unconscious on the ground.

"Toshiro!" Karin exclaims, "Why did you do that?"

"I got a bad vibe from him," admits Toshiro as he checks to make sure that the now unconscious boy still has a pulse. He does, so Toshiro steps away from the boy and goes to the sideline of the arena. A referee runs over to the defensemen and has a panic attack, which Toshiro watches in amusement from the sideline. He looks over at Karin to gauge her reaction, and his smile shrinks a little when he sees the worry etched across her face.

_How could she be worried about him? He almost bowled her over._

The rest of the team runs up, screaming and whooping at the top of their lungs. Karin smiles at her friends and joins them in celebration. "Yea Karin!" They shout enthusiastically as they encircle her.

"Ha ha thanks guys, but it was nothing." She replies modestly.

Toshiro steps into the circle, nodding his head in agreement with the guys. "You were pretty good," he admits quietly.

Karin breaks out in a laugh and she reaches up to pat Toshiro firmly on the head, "That is really something coming from an elementary student."

"I'm taller than you!"

"It doesn't matter, give me a few more years and we'll be the same height."

"I doubt it."

"Uh guys…." One of Karin's friends cuts in, "Can you argue later?"

The group breaks out in chuckles. Karin flushes slightly but covers it with a small laugh. "Sorry guys, you're right, let's go celebrate."

Rukia jumps down from the stands with Ichigo right behind her. "Did I hear you say you want to go out? That sounds like a great idea, doesn't it Ichigo?" Rukia elbows him hard in the ribs, silently daring him to say no.

Ichigo glares at the black haired midget while rubbing his side, "I guess it would be fine," he grumbles.

They hang out at the arena for a little while longer and arrange to meet up in a restaurant later on. A half an hour rolls by and it's time to head to the restaurant. The Kurosaki crew is stopped short of the door though, when they see something that surprises them. Shidan (Karin's last crew member) is walking in, looking pumped up about something…

Karin breaks away from the group and runs up to him. "What are you doing here?" she asks curiously.

Shidan looks at his watch, "What are you talking about? I'm here for the game. We are going to pummel them!"

"Uh.. the game started 3 hours ago."

"What?"

"Did no one tell you," asks Karin as she shifts from one foot to the other nervously.

Shidan nods, "I thought so, but earlier today I got a phone call from someone who said they worked here, and they told me the game was moved to now."

"Did you get their name?"

"Of course, it was Rangiku something…. Rats, sorry I don't remember their last name."

Karin chuckles, "It's okay, we had a back up. How about you come and celebrate with us?"

"Sure!"

The rest of the group walks up to see what is going on. "Hey guys, Shidan is going to be joining us if that's okay," says Karin.

Rukia grins and pats Shidan on the shoulder, "Sure! The more the merrier."

With all matters attended, the group heads out and goes to "Ganchibi bar" for some crazy partying fun…

* * *

Later that night

Rukia steps lightly across the floor, as to not alert the Kurosaki family. Down the stairs, one at a time…

She reaches the main level and slides outside. She takes maybe on step before hearing a cough next to her. Her head turns slowly and she sees that none other than Isshin Kurosaki is leaning on his household's wall. "Where are you going, dear third daughter of mine?" he asks casually.

Rukia settles next to him and glances up at the moon, "I just have some plans Ishin, nothing you should concern yourself with."

"Anything your doing is a concern of mine, especially if it's about my own daughter."

"No it's not like that."

"Suuure it isn't, I'm not blind you know. Just… don't let her get hurt." Isshin pulls out a box of cigarettes and stares at them wistfully. He doesn't pull one out; he simply places them back into his pocket with a small sigh escaping his lips.

Rukia nods, "Yes sir, if you will excuse me, I really have to get going."

"Do as you wish, I'm going to bed. It's quite late you know." Isshin smiles at his own joke and heads inside. (A/N: not a very funny joke at that…)

Rukia pushes off the wall and starts walking down the street. She heads to her original destination, Karakura Park, and takes a seat on one of the plastic swings. She waits for a few moments and thinks about her plan for the next few day.

_Now that Rangiku is on board, I have to get Karin and Toshiro in each other's presences as much as possible._

_I can't believe that Rangiku gave her name away to Shidan, I wonder if Karin made the connection._

_Probably, she's a smart kid._

_If she were that smart, wouldn't she notice what was between Toshiro and herself?_

_I'm getting ahead of myself._

Rukia puts her thoughts to the side when she hears someone plop down on the swing next to her. "Did you bring the snacks?" asks Rukia.

"Yup!" the person responds happily. A crunching sound is heard, followed by what sounds like ripping. Moments later a marshmallow is pushed into Rukia's hands. She accepts it and pops the marshmallow into her mouth, munching happily on the treat. "Are you ready to discuss our plans?"

"Yea, do you want to hear my thoughts first or later?"

Rukia reaches blindly to her side and catches hold of the marshmallow bag. Pulling it to her side, she responds, "I would like to hear your ideas first if that's okay."

Silence, the woman must be thinking. "Rangiku?"

"Oh right! Sorry I was a little lost in thought. Anyways, I think the best way to get the Taicho to accept his feelings would be for Karin to get hurt. It doesn't have to be major; it doesn't even have to be real. Taicho just has to think that it's real. What do you think?"

Rukia chews on another marshmallow as she answers, "I think that's a good idea, but it's a little early in the week to do something so drastic. We should put that one on a back burner until day 5 or 6."

"Ok, what do you think we should do?"

"We should take them to the beach!"

"How will that get them together?"

"I don't know," Rukia looks up at the moon again, "I just like the beach…"

Rangiku shakes her head no and makes a grab at the marshmallow bag. She gets it back and pulls some out greedily. "Does mistletoe work it's magic all year round?"

"I don't know…. I don't believe that the time frame matters. Why?"

Rangiku smiles almost evilly and holds back the traditional evil laugh. "Just thinking…."

* * *

Review replies (if this is popular then I'm going to put it into every chapter)

RayvnTheViolinist- Thanks for reviewing all of my stuff. Karin the Shinigami says thank you. Fight scenes aren't really my thing. I just have no idea how to make, "he swung his sword at her" sound interesting… I skipped most of the soccer game because again, "he passed her the ball" is a little dry to read. I love captain crunch too!

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- I'm glad your taking in every word with excitement. White Cheddar popcorn lovers unite!

switmikan74- Thanks, I can appreciate the caps.

KittyRiotVT-OC- I can imagine that Rangiku wants to see him happy too. In the second bleach movie it shows that they definitely have a brother sister relationship. It may be verging on mother son though….

oOoHKoOo- This is true… I'm so lazy, I'll change it eventually. Thanks for the info!

karinkurosakihitsugaya913- I am excited to write more! Thanks for your review.

meg s- I didn't write in other soccer players because I wanted Toshiro to play. You'll read more into that in this chapter. I'm glad you like the review replies. It always made me super happy when I saw one of these in an update and if it makes me happy, it makes others happy!

Turtle-Chan in Blue- Thanks for putting up with my crazy. That was kind of fun though wasn't it?

Ziryx- no coma's. Coma is bad!

flipomatic- you'll find out *laughs evilly* oh sorry, I really should lock that thing up.

Review replies are now over!

This is where I need your help.

Do people have to kiss under a mistletoe year round or is it only on Christmas? I may have to adjust my plans depending on the answer.

Thanks!


	4. What Shall We Do?

Thanks to everyone for the advice on mistletoe. Your results are a little confusing. Here's how it lined up

Year round – 4

Christmas only – 6

I think I'm going to head in the Christmas only direction, but I'll still involve mistletoe into the story. Will it work? You shall find out in a later on.

I'm going to be out of town this weekend, which is why I'm posting this a little early. I'm looking forward to reading all of your wonderful reviews when I get home.

A note before I begin, currently Rukia is sleeping in Yuzu and Karin's room. Keep that in mind.

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach (which I don't) these couples would definitely be together by now! The sexual tension between Rukia and Ichigo must be insane…

* * *

Day 3

The clock flashes to 9:30 AM but Ichigo snoozes on. It is to be expected though, summer is a wonderful time for teens to de stress and get ready for a new year of school. College is a whole other matter, but Ichigo will get around to worrying about that later. Summer is a time to relax and sleep the days away. Well most days. This is not going to be on of those days… a small knock on Ichigo's bedroom door has him up way earlier than normal. Groaning, he climbs out of bed and trudges slowly over to the door. He opens it quickly and prepares himself for the morning assault of his obnoxious father. He pauses in surprise though, when no attack comes. Instead of his father is his own younger sister, Yuzu. She looks worried and peers around Ichigo into the room.

"Oh… hey Yuzu, what's up?" he asks as he reaches up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Have you seen Rukia?" she asks as she continues to look into Ichigo's room.

Ichigo shakes his head no. "Nah sorry Yuzu I haven't. Maybe she had stuff to do this morning."

"Okay… sorry for bothering you nii-san. Breakfast will be in about a half an hour. See you then." Yuzu heads downstairs, probably to start breakfast.

Ichigo closes his door and goes back over to it, plopping down on the cushiony surface. He shuts his eyes, thinking of better times. A missing Rukia probably meant that she was out planning for their bet.

Ichigo cracks his eyes open when he hears a small creak coming from inside his closet. Sighing, he crosses the room to his closet and slides open the door. Inside is none other than Rukia, reading a manga book with a reading light.

"You shouldn't sigh so much Ichigo," she teases lightly, "It'll make you get worry lines."

"What are you doing in my closet?"

"Don't I sleep here anymore?"

"No you don't…. you sleep in Karin and Yuzu's room remember?"

Rukia sits up and shuts her book, "Oh yea, I totally forgot. Oops..."

Ichigo sweatdrops, "How do you forget something like that?"

Rukia pushes her legs out of the closet and Ichigo moves to give her some space, "I was out kind of late last night and I guess I just went back to the wrong place. Speaking of that, can I ask you a question?"

Ichigo goes back over to his bed and sits down on it. "Go ahead," he grumbles.

Rukia reaches into the closet and fishes around for a moment. After a few seconds she pulls out a small green plant with the easily recognizable berries on it. "You know what this is right Ichigo?"

Ichigo nods before asking, "Why do you have a mistletoe Rukia?"

Rukia shrugs innocently, "I just found it. What does it even do?"

Ichigo scoffs, "You don't know?"

"Would I have asked if I knew?"

"I guess not. On Christmas, if two people are caught under the mistletoe together, they have to kiss." Ichigo lies back on his bed, prepared to get some more rest.

"But wait, does it only work on Christmas?" Rukia looks at the plant, perhaps searching for instructions.

"Well… sort of. It is intended for Christmas but as far as I know the trick works year round. If someone didn't know it's original intention than you could probably trick them but other than that, no one will fall for that in the middle of the summer. Wait a minute…." Ichigo glances over at Rukia and notices an evil smile spreading across her face.

"Thanks Ichigo!" Rukia chippers happily before skipping out of the room.

Ichigo jumps out of bed. "Rukia! Get back here!" he yells and runs out of his room after her. He doesn't make it far as everyone's favorite father Isshin his foot into Ichigo's scowling face. A battle ensues and by time Ichigo is victorious Rukia is already out of the house.

* * *

To say that Toshiro had an easier morning than Ichigo would probably be true. He got to sleep longer; by time he was up most of the morning had been stolen away by sleep. His afternoon though… Yamamoto must have been gunning for him or something. He awakens of his own accord around 11:00 AM, happy to note that there are no fire alarms going off. He takes care of his morning business and heads into the kitchen to hunt down some food. Inside the kitchen, Rangiku and Rukia are sitting at the table having a meeting of some sort. Rangiku glances up from the papers in her hands, "Morning Taicho!"

He grunts a "Morning," and grabs some cereal off of the fridge. Fruit loops, yum. He grabs a bowl and sits down at the table with the girls. "Where's Orihime?" He asks as he pours himself some cereal.

"She's out shopping," says Rangiku. "She'll be back later." She turns her attention back to Rukia. "Are we going to go or do you want to wait?"

"I already talked with Isshin over the phone and he said that now is great."

Toshiro looks up from his cereal, "What are you talking about?"

Rukia's face brightens and she shuffles the papers in her hands excitedly. "We are going to the beach today. You want to come?"

"Ummm…" Toshiro gets another bite of cereal as he thinks of the best way to say no.

Rangiku nudges his shoulder gently, "Come on Taicho! The Kurosaki's are going to be there. You have nothing better to do."

"Fine," he grumbles. The Kurosaki's are always an amusing family to watch and Toshiro wasn't going to miss out on the craziness. "What time are we meeting them?" he asks.

"12," answers Rangiku. "We are going to have so much fun! Swimming, Beach Volleyball, plus whatever Isshin can come up with!"

Rukia nods in equal excitement.

Toshiro scoops up the last of his cereal.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Review replies (If many more of you review I'll have to cut some of our conversations short)

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- It worked :D

Lunacat13- Would you believe that I came up with this idea during Spanish class?

meg s- Thanks for looking it up for me :)

switmikan74- I'll update when I update… Of course Toshiro is jealous, he just has to accept it.

Ash-chan 95X3- I added an extra s. Thanks so much for helping me out

blacklightangel- Welcome to the awesome club of having an account. No problem about putting up these wonderful messages. I like talking to people… Don't be distraught. Updates shall come if you are patient.

Ziryx- I probably underestimate him too. That's the point, Rukia wouldn't make a bet if she didn't think she was going to win.

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- Good idea about volleyball. Is it okay if I use it? Toshiro might like the beach, there is always a good view of the sun.

oOoHKoOo- If Toshiro didn't play than the story couldn't have moved the way I want it to. It would be hard to pair them up if Karin was angry at Toshiro the whole time. Yea, I felt bad when I wrote Shidan into the story.

Little Gypsy Girl- You know it! I could totally imagine them conspiring for real too. Rukia is into that kind of stuff.

FuyuKiba- thanks! I appreciate the review

VanillaMostly- I am glad you came across it as well ^_^ I do try to keep them in character although sometimes is gets a little iffy.

Turtle-chan in Blue- that would be so funny. Doesn't mistletoe have to be above your head though? They would have to throw it into the air to get the effect.

Flipomatic- Not likely lol. They aren't going to not get together and then get together afterwards. I don't want Rukia to jump off of a bridge naked.

And that be the end!

I really wanted to fit the beach into this chapter but then it would be too loooooong.

You get the idea. Next up is the beach and maybe mistletoe.

Again, thanks for all of your help on the mistletoe thing.

Can we clear 50 reviews in 4 chapters? Only time will tell!


	5. Beach Time

I have returned! It was a joy and I'll be posting pictures on facebook!

I salute to the Konohamaru goggles!

**We cleared 50 by a long shot! You guys are amazing!**

I hope you all enjoy the beach scene because honestly, I never really wanted to do a beach scene. Your reviews from the last chapter gave me some ideas. Thanks to KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913.

Disclaimer: I'm not creative or original enough to come up with my own manga, and anyone who thinks so is crazy.

* * *

Let me know if this is how you would want to spend the better part of a half an hour. Stuffed into the backseat of "The Kurosaki Kruiser." Yes, spelled with a K. A sweaty, stinky car that is made to seat five. Of course, there are seven people. Toshiro was given two options. Ride on the roof or squeeze between Rangiku and Karin for the ride down to the beach. He chose the latter but regretted it immediately. He could almost imagine that Rangiku was squishing up against him on purpose and probably had a few inches of space on her other side. (He'll never know if he was right ;) His side presses firmly into Karin uncomfortably. He twitches at the cool touch of her skin. Maybe some of his power was seeping into her via human contact. It wasn't affecting the air, that could be said for certain. Toshiro's unhappiness only manages to lower the temperature from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 99. Not a very significant change… The Kruiser finally pulls up to the beach and settles down on it's haunches for a rest. Yuzu pops her door open first and slides out, finally giving Toshiro some much-needed breathing space as Karin relaxes next to him. Rangiku slides her door open as well and gracefully climbs out of the Kruiser. Toshiro pries his elbow out of Karin's side and gets out on Rangiku's side of the Kruiser. He stretches out as a small breeze blows against his side gently. Rangiku grabs his elbow and begins to drag him over to where the Kurosaki family is gathering. "Come on Taicho, let's see what they are talking about."

"I'd rather not," Toshiro grumbles as he shakes his elbow free from Rangiku's grasp. He follows her anyways and the two of them join the circle.

Isshin glances at his watch. "All right! We'll play beach volleyball at 1:30. That gives you an hour to swim and partner up. I'm referring so I hope none of you wanted to be on my team. We would totally win but it doesn't matter! I'll see you all then!" he winks and immediately runs off in another direction, probably heading towards the snack bar. Karin leans over to Yuzu and whispers something in her ear. A grin spreads across Yuzu's face and she nods excitedly.

Rangiku glances up at the sun and wipes a bead of sweat off of her forehead dramatically, "Whew it sure is hot today Taicho, I have an idea! Why don't we go for a swim?"

Toshiro shakes his head, "I'd rather not Matsumoto, and you know how I feel about stuff like that."

Karin looks away from Yuzu and shifts her gaze over to Toshiro curiously. "You don't like to swim? I thought everyone liked that kind of stuff." She laughs humorously and Yuzu joins in with a small chuckle.

Toshiro glares slightly at Karin; "I wasn't talking to you, now was I?"

Karin shakes her head, still laughing, "Nope! If you wanted no one to listen to you then you should have talked somewhere else."

Rukia chuckles, "She's right Hitsugaya-Taicho. It's not like you were talking about anything serious. You shouldn't get so upset. Hey Ichigo, how about we go sit over there and talk about our volleyball strategy."

Ichigo grunts a 'yea' and they leave the group.

Karin glances out at the water, "Let's go swim Yuzu."

"Sure!" Yuzu pipes back.

Rangiku puts her hand up quickly, "Actually I was hoping to talk to Yuzu for a little while if that's okay Karin."

Karin shrugs in indifference, "Sure, that's fine with me…."

"Great, let's go over there Yuzu." Rangiku points to a shady area under some trees and proceeds to drag Yuzu over there in a similar way to the way she was dragging Toshiro just minutes before.

"So…. About swimming," Karin looks at Toshiro hopefully.

He glances at the water, and then looks over at Karin.

_Must not give in to begging… it is beneath me._

"Uh… fine, but only for a little while," Toshiro concedes and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

A huge smile spreads across Karin's face but she avoids yelling out like the last time he agreed to do something for her.

Before she can say anything, Yuzu appears next to her, "Are we ready to swim?" she asks quietly.

"Yup, and guess what?"

"What?" Yuzu looks slightly confused but plays along anyway.

"Toshiro is going to swim with us." Karin says loudly, making Toshiro immediately regret saying yes.

Yuzu nods, "Cool, I have a surprise too, Rangiku asked me to be her partner in beach volleyball."

"That's awesome Yuzu! You guys will do great together." Karin holds her hand up for a high five, which Yuzu meets with equal enthusiasm.

Toshiro groans, realizing what Yuzu was implying. "Karin…" he mutters.

"Yes?" She turns her attention away from her sister, wondering what Toshiro's discovery could be.

"You know that now we have to be partners in beach volleyball right?"

Karin thinks for a moment before returning to her excited self, "That means we are going to pawn! We already kick butt together at soccer, so this shouldn't be any different."

Toshiro doesn't comment, he merely walks over to a clump of shade and sits down on one of the nearby beach chairs.

Getting the idea, Karin plops down next to him and begins to fiddle with her shoes. Toshiro does the same and unties his shoes.

Of course Yuzu joins them and soon the three of them are undressed (except for their swimsuits of course). Toshiro glances away from the twins, he doesn't even want to be drawn into something as dumb as staring, what would Ukitake-Taicho say?

Karin doesn't have the same etiquette. Her eyes are naturally drawn to Toshiro's body. His profession naturally keeps him in shape, toned abs, no body fat, and of course the cute hair and face. Yuzu notices her staring and makes a small comment.

Fighting to keep the blush off of her face, Karin shifts her gaze elsewhere and walks down to the waters edge. She touches the waters with her toes and immediately jumps. "Cold," she states.

Toshiro smirks and steps into the water, happy that it is cooler than the stifling humidity in the air. Yuzu flops in happily, sliding down all the way into the water and coming up giggling. "Karin it isn't that bad!"

Karin takes the plunge, literally, and charges in after her sister.

Toshiro follows reluctantly, but soon finds himself enjoying the water, his mind drifts to beach volleyball and the craziness that will ensue…

* * *

We now enter a phase you are all very familiar with

REVIEW REPLIES! Writing these is always the best part of my day. I just want to say to all of you that in one night we cleared 50. I was checking my email at 4am the next day and we were already at 50. You guys just made me so happy. What surprised me even more is when I got home, we were close to 60. That's almost 15 reviews per chapter. I love you all :)

Back on topic….

alamodie- Your wish is my command! Another strike against mistletoe, oh well…

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- Your idea wasn't stupid, just not something that I would really be good at writing in. If you have any other ideas let me know.

xXBleachluverXx- I'm glad you like it, although it makes me feel like a thief.

FuyuKiba- You aren't the only one ;)

oOoHKoOo- Yep, Ichigo is very very (did I mention very?) dense. It makes it all the more fun for the story. I couldn't imagine Karin in a bikini, no matter what Rangiku did. It would be funny though…

blacklightangel- Your doing a pretty good job of waiting for me. I left the beach out because I didn't want it to be to long. Even this chapter is only half of the beach scene. It just gets too draggy for me to put it all together. Plus now I get to make you wait some more. Bwahahaha.

lazyguy90- I don't think anyone has ever called my writing "bloody fantastic" before so thanks! I'm glad you think it's funny. This is what my mind thinks up all day, and I share it with the world.

headyzest- Thanks, unfortunately I don't think there will be a mistletoe part. It basically was eliminated, although I may add it with a twist later on. I don't know if Toshiro even knows what it is, which would make for an amusing interaction.

Little Gypsy Girl- His ice is pretty ineffective because of the scorching heat. Little adventures are my specialty :D

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- Thanks, I think I already said thanks at the top of this page but I'm saying it again. I get too lazy to sign in too sometimes but in order to post, sign in is necessary. I liked your rhyme :)

diamondarrowmage- I get lazy too… thanks for your help, we cleared it by a long shot!

Ziryx- unfortunately, I may rule mistletoe out. I have an idea to run through you when we get back from break (or before if I get impatient)

meg s- Yes! Thanks for your support in that. I could hear your mental laugh from here.

ScienceAngel- I am glad that you like the plot. It took a lot of thinking and three Spanish classes for me to come up with it.

KittyRiotLuvsYew053- Cool, I can include it without someone accusing me of stealing. Your right, they really don't know anything about it… hmmm

Turtle-chan in Blue- Believe it or not, I wasn't originally going to do the beach but the idea was so popular that I couldn't leave it out. I'm sorry if you don't like it.

Ash-chan13- Thank you, I fixed it.

flipomatic- Would Isshin really involve himself in a plan to set his daughter up with someone? I think not. His son, yes. His daughter, no.

Fin (End in French) Wow, that was long!

Yay! Next is the beach volleyball scene.

Did I say how happy I was and how much I love my reviewers? I'm saying it again!

You guys rock!


	6. Intense Competition

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Well... the forum is long gone, sorry guys, it didn't really hit it off.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, even though I was regretting a beach scene at the beginning, volleyball is always fun!

Thanks to everyone who is hanging in here with me, 6 chapters down, who knows how many there are to go...

Disclaimer: While I sleep, I own Bleach. I manipulate the characters to do whatever I want and have tons of fun messing with them. When I wake up though… I still own nothing. Maybe some day…

* * *

Before Toshiro can even blink, 1:30 is here and Isshin is doodling happily up on the sand. Isshin looks up at Toshiro, and his stare intensifies as he squints his eyes in concentration. His head snaps forward and he resumes his scribbling. Already dried off, Toshiro heads over to the father of the Kurosaki household to wait for the others. He sits in front of the older man, who immediately shifts back so Toshiro can't see the contents of the paper.

Toshiro stares intently at the paper, pretending to bore a hole straight through it to Isshin. He sees the paper visibly twitch a few times, but other than that Isshin remains quiet, the only exception is the small scratching noise of pen on paper.

The rest of the group gathers and sits with Toshiro. They watch Isshin as he works, his tongue starting to poke out of the corner out of his mouth from all of his deep concentration. Then silence… the pen drops to the ground, inkless. Isshin rises slowly and rotates the paper to reveal….

A bracket set, but not your ordinary bracket set. There are three castles drawn at the left side of the page. In front of each castle are two horses, each with a rider. The heads on the riders are naturally the contestants in the contest. Ichigo and Rukia, Toshiro and Karin, and Yuzu and Rangiku. If you look closely, Yuzu and Rangiku's castle is a little bigger and more detailed but only if you really looked closely. Isshin doesn't play favorites like that. Never…

Ichigo sweat drops as Rukia proceeds to run up to Isshin and start babbling about how she loves his drawing and how he should teach her… He looks at his family and sees a similar internal reaction from Yuzu. Karin not so much, but she is good at hiding inner emotions.

Rukia finishes her conversation with Isshin and rejoins Ichigo. Isshin produces a tack out of thin air and pins the brackets to a nearby palm tree. "You all know the rules so lets get started! First, you have to come up with a cool team name!"

Everyone groans except for Yuzu and Rangiku who cheer loudly.

They split off into their teams to discuss names.

_With Rangiku and Yuzu_

"What do you think we should be Rangiku?"

"I don't know…. Let me think about it. What about team Sake?"

"Sake? I don't think dad would appreciate that. What if we are Flower Power? We are the only all girl team."

"Your so smart Yuzu, I officially elect you team captain!"

"Wow! Thanks!

_With Ichigo and Rukia_

"The Chappies!"

"No…"

"Why not? Chappy is so cute! Everyone loves Chappy."

"What if we are the Gamblers, considering the bet and all."

"I didn't know you had a brain Ichigo…."

"Hey!"

_With Toshiro and Karin_

"Eh…. Maybe we could do something with the whole fire and ice thing."

"How boring…"

"Hey Toshiro! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes…"

"What if we are Icy Heat?"

"Whatever…"

"I'll take that as a yes."

_Regathering!_

Isshin gets their names and scribbles them at the top of their castles on the bracket sheet. He pulls out an inflatable mike and quickly blows it up. A few huffs later and he is ready to go. "First to play is team Flower Power and The Gamblers. You will play to 10 points. We are playing where if you lose twice, you're out, so don't lose."

Toshiro and Karin chill on the sand and watch as Ichigo and Rukia size up Rangiku and Yuzu. Well they really only size up Rangiku, doing that to Yuzu would be a little strange and unnecessary.

The two teams line up on opposite sides of the volleyball court, and an intense struggle begins. The Gamblers start with the ball and serve it over the net. It is volleyed back, and the ball begins to go back and forth, not touching the ground for quite some time. Eventually the ball gets to Yuzu, the weakest player of the bunch. She bunts the ball and it soars towards the net… just to hit off the top of the net and softly land by her feet.

"Point to the Gamblers!" Isshin shouts and flips a number on his handy dandy transportable score keeper.

As the game continues, Toshiro finds himself dozing off. He looks up at the clouds and tries to make a shape out of them. Ukitake had recently gotten him into the habit of cloud watching and it was surprisingly a good way to pass the time. The clouds on earth tend to be less interesting. Right now they are just a bunch of fluffy pillows, slowly crawling across the sky. One starts to morph into what may be Appa from Avatar the last Airbender. It grows little arms and horns. How interesting….

"Pssst, Toshiro snap out of it," hisses Karin. She jams her elbow into his side and Toshiro jumps slightly at the contact. He gives up on the clouds and concentrates back on the game. The score is now 9-5 with the Gamblers in the lead.

Toshiro blinks and suddenly the score is 10-5, the Gamblers win!

After a short celebration Toshiro and Karin stand up and takes Yuzu and Rangiku's spot on the court. Toshiro stands in the back and Karin takes the front of the area.

Isshin passes the ball to Toshiro. "Team Icy Heat starts with the ball since team Gamblers won the last match. Begin!"

Toshiro pops the ball into the air and serves it over the net. It is quickly tapped back by Rukia, but she hits it lightly and Karin spikes it back over the net. Ichigo and Rukia are not professional by any means so they can't stop the beach ball from thudding to the sand floor. The game continues, evenly matched for the most part. Eventually the game reaches the point of no return. 9-all, with the ball starting in Rukia's hands. She serves it smoothly over the net, aiming for the small gap between Toshiro and Karin. Karin slides back a little and jumps to intercept the ball, but it merely bumps against her fingertips and keeps going. Toshiro reaches out and gives the ball a small hit back into the air. Karin taps it over the net and it is dealt with on the other side. Rukia hits it up and Karin uses this to her advantage to spike the ball again. This time, Ichigo is ready and catches the ball with an open palm. Unfortunately for Ichigo, you can't catch the ball during play. Victory goes to Toshiro and Karin. There is less cheering this time, but Toshiro and Karin do share a small smile and high five.

The next two games are a blur, in which team Icy Heat eliminates Flower Power, Isshin draws a new crushed castle on his bracket sheet, and Icy Heat faces the Gamblers in the finals. The game is another close one, but Icy Heat pulls out a victory. By the time the games are over people are starting to clear out of the beach.

Isshin pulls the brackets off of the tree and adds his final touches. He crushes Ichigo and Rukia's castle in a way similar to what he did with Rangiku and Yuzu's and draws crowns onto the doodles of Toshiro and Karin. He rolls it up, muttering something about how Masaki would love it.

Then comes the car ride back. Toshiro groans, remembering the torture that he received on the way down. He hangs back, hoping to steal an outside seat.

No such luck, Rangiku swings by and drags him to the Kruiser. "Get in Taicho, as one of the skinnier people, you have to squeeze into the middle.

_At least I get to sit next to Karin. Wait?_

_I don't care who I sit next to._

_Right?_

* * *

Special thanks to headyzest, turtle-chan in blue, and Lunacat13 who took time out of their lives to review my Author note. It made me feel special

Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, it's replying time! (I'm going to answer both last chapter and the A/N combined)

alamodie- I've never heard of someone who doesn't read their reviews, I'm giving your PUKAT idea a try. You can see it right before the chapter starts.

ToshiroxKarin4ever- I'm glad you liked it, personally it wasn't one of my favorites but if all people liked the same food then we would have a lot more starvation on our hands

lazyguy90- beaches are quite popular… I try to keep my life full of fun and I guess that rubs off into the story.

Lunacat13- I don't use a ton of Japanese, just in suffixes like niisan or chan if it were needed. It's not a huge part of the story.

xxPSxxIxxLUVxxUxx- Yea, me too…

Turtle-chan in Blue- I wasn't sure if pwn was short for something or not… Thanks for going to my forum. Your story is in the works

oOoHKoOo- Mistletoe will be back in due time. I actually didn't involve Yuzu in the plot, I don't think she would be able to keep her mouth shut to Karin. If Karin found out about the bet it would be angry time!

xXBleachluverXx- me too, I thought for a long time on what I was going to name this one.

xxgabigail- hehe nothing scary, only crazy!

meg s- he knows how to play soccer so I can only guess that he knows how to play beach volleyball. For the sake of the story the answer is yes

Ziryx- I can imagine it would be painful

ScienceAngel- That is one of the main reasons I do these replies. Not only do I love talking to people, I know how happy it makes me to get one, so you must feel something similar.

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- :D I can't wait to write it!

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- He is a very cute bunny

flipomatic- lolz

headyzest- Don't worry, mistletoe is coming, *rubs hands togethor evily*

And that is the end of that!

Well my PUKAT fans, thank you for reading. I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Day four is coming! I'm not 100% on which activity I should do next.

How about we have a vote?

Your choices are:

Something mistletoe related

Ichigo action

Karin being injured / worried Toshiro

Fireworks of some sort

Something else that I haven't thought of (make sure to tell me what it is)


	7. Frostfire

Sorry that I couldn't get this up earlier, I've been super busy with musical rehearsal.

My high school is doing Pippin. It is very funny and probably should be rated higher than PG.

Poll Results!

Hurt Karin/Worried Toshiro- 5 votes

Ichigo Action- 5 votes

Fireworks- 3 votes

Mistletoe- 2 votes

Hurt Toshiro/Worried Karin- 1 vote

Disclaimer: Something witty to say… I've got nothing, exactly! I've got nothing, I own nothing, and I do not own Bleach!

* * *

Day Four

After a few days of Kurosaki crazy and a whole lot of nonsense, Toshiro realizes that he has a job to do. There is a supposed hollow mass in the city, even though the white haired captain hadn't seen a hollow since his last visit to the world of the living. He stares at his mini map phone, hoping for a hollow to appear.

3 AM isn't the most probable time, but who knows… it could be a nocturnal hollow that eats souls as they sleep. Sleep… that would be useful right now, but with a mind that whirs at 1500 revolutions per second, Toshiro could do basically anything except sleep. Algebra, yes! Physics yes! English yes!

Sleep…. No. The phone is indifferent to this and nothing changes. The mini map stays the same and Toshiro shoots it an icy glare. Frost starts to form around the edges but hey; it's just a phone. They can always be replaced if Toshiro freezes it solid.

Toshiro snaps the phone shut and repockets it noisily.

He slides off of the park bench that he had been resting on and continues to walk down the path.

Toshiro really has no idea where he is, he's just wandering around late at night, in the dark. Probably not the smartest thing for someone who looks like a student to do. Toshiro does it anyway, his white hair making him a pretty easy to spot target.

He walks and walks, passing many streetlights and benches. If Toshiro had to guess, he would probably say that he was circling the park, or maybe the school.

Toshiro's phone decides that it has been ignored for long enough and starts to vibrate angrily in his pocket. He quickly pulls it out, flipping open the top smoothly. The hollow has of course, shown up late, and is now waiting for him on top of a hill somewhere.

Toshiro is pretty close by and the only one awake, so he decides to deal with the sucker.

He reads the data about the hollow as he runs to its location.

Type- Menos Grande- AdjuchaName- Frostfire

Abilities- A dangerous hollow with many unknown abilities. It can spit ice which immediately turns to fire on contact with the skin, hence it's name. Can only be taken out by a Vice-Captain or Captain level class.

Sounds like fun, I'll have to freeze him up and tear him apart quickly before he can melt my ice.

Toshiro reaches the hollow's location and pops in a soul candy. He gives a command to his gikongan before quickly scaling the hill. Frostfire's head appears in his sight as the menos appears to be stumbling backwards. It roars and runs forward.

Toshiro quickly reaches the top of the hill and is surprised by what he finds. Frostfire is yelling angrily, nursing it's left arm to its body.

If Karakura hadn't recently inserted streetlights onto the many paths, Toshiro would have missed the small human lying in front of the Adjucha's feet. It is too dark to tell who it is, but Toshiro doesn't miss a moment of time and shunpos over to them.

They are conscious, but breathing heavily and glaring at the menos as if that was all it took to defeat it.

They lying face down, but Toshiro can tell that they are wearing a soul reaper shihaksho. A long wound trails down their back, probably a scratch from Frostfire.

Toshiro rolls the person over muttering words of encouragement. "It's going to be okay, I'm here to…." His words dry up in his mouth as he realizes who is lying before him.

Karin cracks a weak smile at the shocked Captain, "Hey there Toshiro, what took you so long?"

Toshiro shakes his head to clear his mind, "What do you mean? It's the middle of the night, you should be asleep, not out fighting hollows." Toshiro scoops up Karin bridal style and shunpos away from the menos.

"Haha," laughs Karin weakly, "You know I love a good fight. I just happened to be awake when the alarm went off. Couldn't sleep anyway…"

Toshiro sets Karin down gently on the grass, "That's foolish of you Karin. You shouldn't of come here if you didn't know you would win."

"I thought I would win!" Karin declares, a little bit of her spirit shining through.

Toshiro brushes a strand of hair out of her face as he responds, "Obviously you couldn't…"

Karin smiles lightly at Toshiro's kind gesture, "Well? Oh my knight in shining armor, what are you going to do?"

Toshiro lets out a bitter laugh, "I'm going to do what I must. Stay here."

"Like I can go anywhere…"

Toshiro releases Karin and drags himself away from her and back into the fight. He peers over his shoulder as he runs back and true to her word, Karin sits in one place, silently cheering on Toshiro.

Toshiro takes three more steps before drawing Hyourinmaru, allowing his reatsu to pour out of him. Quite viciously, I'll add. I don't know anyone (except for Kenpachi) who would want to face Toshiro in battle now.

Without missing a beat, Toshiro soars into the sky, closing the distance between himself and Frostfire. He slams the sword down and takes care of the hollows pained arm problem. He slices it clean off, finishing what Karin attempted earlier.

The hollow screeches and swings its now only arm at the Captain. Toshiro shunpos out of the way and shoots a jet of ice at the arm with a small familiar shout. "Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Ice shoots from Hyourinmaru and freezes Frostfire's arm solid. The menos opens it's mouth and it's mouth starts to glow, almost as if it's going to blast a cero.

The glowing stops and ice shards shoot out of Frostfire's mouth. Toshiro jumps back, but the menos doesn't turn its head to follow him. It focuses the blast on it's frozen arm. The ice shards penetrate the ice and immediately melt into a lava esque substance. Toshiro's ice melts and evaporates with a small sizzling sound coming from the evaporating water.

The hollow information talked about this power.

Toshiro redirects his shunpo and slides in front of the hollows gaping chest hole. One clean swing, and the menos finds himself sliced clean in two.

Now kids, this is why you never want to get on the bad side of an angry Captain. You will lose…

The hollow dissolves into dust and Toshiro resheathes his Zanpakuto. He looks over at Karin to see if she is impressed with his mad skills.

He runs back to her side, where she has fallen asleep. All of the stress and reatsu must have gotten to her. Toshiro reaches down to nudge her away, but she doesn't stir.

"Karin?" Toshiro nudges her again.

"Karin!" Toshiro picks her up for the second time that day and rushes down the hill to his gikongan.

"Go to Orihime's and wake Rangiku. Tell her to meet me at the hospital."

"Yes sir!" Toshiro's Gikongan runs off and Toshiro turns to the matter at hand.

He shunpos off to the hospital, his mind full of thoughts.

Only now, they are all about the girl nestled in his arms.

* * *

That's it; sorry if this is shorter than the normal chapter. Again, I haven't had as much time to work as I usually get.

Thanks for all of your voting, I've decided to do Hurt Karin/ Worried Toshiro. No Ichigo action in this chapter, but I'm going to try and fit it into the next one.

I shall now respond to your wonderful reviews, (I missed a few of you, if you guys didn't know, I took the AN down and put a real chapter up under 6 instead. If you missed it, go back and read it before reading this chapter please.)

blacklightangel- Don't worry about it, most people don't review Author notes anyway so it didn't really matter. Did you have a preference in the poll?

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- Finally signed in huh? Thanks for your support, even though I'm not using fireworks I appreciate your opinion. Maybe day 5.

Sora Moto- Well thanks you :) I try super hard to be a good writer. About your idea, it would be interesting to write, I just can't see it. Maybe you should write something like that ;)

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- That would piss Ichigo off a lot I think

Little Gypsy Girl- With me, everything is an interesting ride, just ask some of my friends. Funny note, I always write the chapter before I write the review replies and I actually used "Knight in Shining Armor" in the story. I just reread your review and stared at the sentence for a few moments going 'huh….'

FuyuKiba- Funny is coming!

tichtich2- No worries, a lot of people voted for more than one. It actually gives me a better idea of which one will be the most popular. I'm glad your one of my faithful reviewers. Flipomatic was saying the other day that most of my reviewers have character. They don't just say "update update!" like most of hers.

xXBleachluverXx- Appa is a beast! He's one of my favorite characters from the show, plus I was too lazy to write out a whole volleyball game.

PunkRockHolly- Your probably right… more chemistry is needed. Ichigo paying up is going to probably be my favorite part to write. You'd think he would be worried but he is a guy… they aren't worried until it's too late.

ToshiroxKarin4ever- Thanks for voting!

Lady Queria- That's awesome, pose striking is so much fun. Sorry, even though you struck a cool pose and everything, Mistletoe didn't make it. I want to include it somewhere, I just have to find a good place to put it.

meg s- You are not annoying at all. I love it when my reviewers talk to me, and you voted which is a plus. I give you a gold star.

Ziryx- You would think that they lived so long and everyday would be a rush, but it is not so! Jam packed action makes for more chapters, which makes me happy. Ichigo will get into it eventually, but most likely be too late.

ScienceAngel- *edges away slightly* you mean platonically right? Cuz I'm not into internet dating… Lol just messing with you, I love Appa. Momo is a great example of his worry… if he didn't have that then no one would really know what he is like on the inside.

This is the conclusion of our review replies.

Heads up!

Coming up here on the 21st I will be posting chapter on of a two-shot which will be know as…

How Every Shinigami Should Spend Their Birthday.

It is a HitsuKarin story in honor of Turtle-Chan in Blue's birthday.

You had all better say happy birthday to him!

What did you think, was there enough chemistry for you all?


	8. Medical Needed In Aisle Two!

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A day early for you all, I'm going to be busy tomorrow so it has to be today!

Second, HESRSSTD chapter one is up on the site in honor of Turtle-chan. So read it!

Sometimes I get the feeling that if I ask you a question at the end of the chapter, you feel more inclined to review… does anyone else get that?

As our review replies come to a close, I'm realizing that I'm not going to make my 5-10 chapter or my 2-month deadline. I think it's already past the time deadline.

Disclaimer: Alas, nothing has changed since the chapter before this one, so I still own nothing.

Enjoy!

* * *

Halfway to the local hospital, Toshiro realizes that no one will be able to see Karin in Shinigami form, so he changes direction and heads to the Kurosaki clinic instead.

He shifts Karin's weight to one side, carefully balancing her on one arm as he continues to run. He pulls out his cell phone and dials in Rangiku's number.

_Ring Ring_

"Yes?" asks Rangiku groggily, already knowing who was on the other end.

"I need you to meet me at Ichigo Kurosaki's house, if you beat me there then wake up Isshin," orders Toshiro, his voice firm despite the emotions running through him.

"Hai Taicho, I'll get there as soon as possible."

Toshiro hears shuffling in the background of the phone and can faintly hear Orihime's voice.

Rangiku replies to Orihime, probably telling her that nothing is wrong. Orihime's voice fades away and the background noise stops.

"Can I ask what happened?" Rangiku's voice is soft, making her sound more like a sister and less like a subordinate.

"I'll explain everything later," replies Toshiro as he once again shifts Karin around in his arms. He traps his phone between his ear and his shoulder in order to get a better grip on the girl.

He can almost feel Rangiku nodding through the phone. "Are you hurt?" she asks, even though she probably knows that he isn't.

"No… it's just…" For the first time in a while the white haired prodigy is lost for the right words. He clears his throat and tries again. "I wandered on someone who is hurt, and they need medical attention. I figured that the hospitals around here wouldn't be good enough, so it's on the Kurosaki's. I'll tell you how it happened later on."

"Have it your way Taicho. I'm almost to the Kurosaki's. See you in a few."

"See ya." Toshiro frees one of his hands and re pockets his phone. He is only about a minute away from the Kurosaki's now, and falls silent, lost in his own thoughts.

_What if I had shown up a little earlier? Karin would be safe and I still would have beaten that stupid hollow._

_Why would Karin even go out to fight the hollow in the first place?_

_That's an easy one… she probably wanted to prove her strength. Defeating an Adjucha would definitely accomplish that._

_Argh… if only I showed up a little sooner._

Toshiro tucks his thoughts back into the subconscious of his mind as he reaches his destination. The Kurosaki house looks as if it is half asleep. The upstairs lights are completely out, but the downstairs lights are all lit up.

_Rangiku must already be here._

Toshiro climbs up to the front door and kicks the door gently, like a knock.

The door swings open, Isshin's worried face appearing before Toshiro.

Isshin sighs and pulls the door open the rest of the way, making room for Toshiro to come inside.

Toshiro complies and is surprised by the room's occupants. Rangiku is sitting at the dinner table, accompanied by Ichigo, Rukia, Urahara, and Tessai. The last two on this list had probably just been called in; they are amazing healers after all. Isshin shuts the door and turns to face Toshiro. He puts his arms out and gently picks Karin up out of Toshiro's hands.

He nods towards the table, motioning for Toshiro to sit. As Toshiro settles into a chair, Urahara and Tessai rise from their own seats. Isshin walks out of the room, closely followed by Urahara and Tessai.

Toshiro looks down at the table, not wanting to meet any of their gazes. He can feel Ichigo's intense stare but chooses not to meet his gaze.

"Toshiro," Rangiku says his name cautiously, gently placing one of her hands onto his shoulder.

He looks up and makes eye contact with his Vice-Captain. "What?" he grumbles.

"We have to know what happened," she replies, trying to be as comforting as possible.

"Fine," Toshiro huffs out a large breath, and retells what happened that night. (You don't need me to repeat it do you?)…..

* * *

"…Basically, I wasn't strong enough to protect her, I wasn't fast enough to get to her in time. I failed…" Toshiro looks down once again, his story finished.

Rukia shakes her head, "That's not true Toshiro, you beat the hollow and got Karin back here in one piece. We couldn't ask for anything more than that. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Ichigo's stare has resided and now he has a thoughtful look on his face. "I know your upset Toshiro, but you're over reacting. Karin is safe. She'll probably need these next few days to rest, but she'll be fine. She never should have gone out on her own anyway, you couldn't have controled that."

Toshiro nods slightly, "She definitely needs to rest."

"You should probably stay away for a little, just so she doesn't have any distractions." Ichigo adds, hoping for the best.

He winces slightly as Rukia's gaze turns on him. Her worried look turning into an angry glare in mere moments.

Toshiro is so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he misses this humorous interaction. "I don't think that's necessary Ichigo. I'm not a huge distraction, plus," Toshiro pauses for a moment before continuing, "I have to apologize for what happened."

The table falls silent and Ichigo heads up to bed. After a little while, Rangiku leaves as well. Only Rukia and Toshiro remain. Rukia rests her chin in her hands, watching Toshiro curiously. Toshiro is sitting at the table calmly, his head facing towards the hallway that Isshin and the others went down, waiting for any news about Karin.

"Your really worried about her aren't you?" asks Rukia.

Toshiro nods, not even bothering to face Rukia.

Rukia glances over at the spot that Toshiro is so intensely gazing at. "I know how you feel…"

Toshiro nods again, but this time turns to face her as he answers, "Yea, I'm sure you feel this way whenever Ichigo gets hurt."

"What?" Rukia hisses, surprised that Toshiro would make a comment like that. "Why does everyone make comments about Ichigo and myself? First Karin and now you, there's nothing between us!"

"Hmm..." Toshiro goes back to staring at the hallway. Frustrated, Rukia fumes silently at Toshiro.

She doesn't have to fume for long, as Urahara steps back into the room, wiping a bead of sweat off of his forehead tiredly.

Toshiro jumps up, "Well?" he demands.

Urahara sits down at the table and motions for Toshiro to do the same. Toshiro sits slowly and waits for Urahara to speak.

"She is out of critical condition, but is still unconscious. We healed up the large wound on her back and replenished her lost blood. It took so long because well… she lost a lot of blood. Speaking of, you should probably get changed Hitsugaya-Taicho. Or at least call your Gigai over here."

Toshiro looks down at his clothes, noticing for the first time that they are covered in blood.

Karin's blood….

Toshiro lets out a sigh of relief and allows himself to relax, letting the blood problem go for now. "When do you think she will be waking up?"

Urahara shrugs noncommittally, "Who knows…. She'll could wake up in a few hours; she could wake up in a few weeks. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Ok…" Toshiro grumbles, unhappy with the answer.

"Would you like to visit?" Urahara asks, standing up from the table, "That's one of the reasons I came out here. It's okay to go in now."

Toshiro jumps out of his seat for a second time, energy renewed. "Yes, I would like to," he replies hastily.

Rukia stands up as well. "Same for me." She answers, a small smile appearing on her face.

Urahara walks down the hall and beckons for them to follow. He leads them over to Karin's temporary room, pushing the door open slowly. Isshin and Tessai are still inside, but they exit quickly when Rukia and Toshiro go in. Urahara leaves them at the door, saying something about discussing some new sales techniques with Isshin before exiting.

Karin is sleeping peacefully, a heartbeat monitor clicking away next to her bed.

Toshiro sits down in one of the chairs and looks at his hands quietly while Rukia walks over to Karin's bed. She takes the girl's hand, says a few words, and turns to Toshiro.

"You know… I heard from Unohana-taicho that people recover faster if you talk to them." Rukia says kindly.

"I've heard that too," replies Toshiro.

_Unohana wanted me to do that with Momo…_

_Would it have made a difference?_

_Should I try it now?_

Rukia places Karin's hand down carefully at her side and makes her way towards the door. "I can see you need some time, I'll be around if you need anything." Rukia exits, probably to go shower and get some rest.

Toshiro stands up and drags the chair over to Karin's bed. He sits down and takes her hand in his, similar to what Rukia did.

"Karin… if you can hear me know. I sound kind of stupid don't I? You're asleep and I'm just babbling about nothing. Anyways… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. It's my fault that you got hurt. Please wake up." Toshiro's voice fades away and he sits, listening. He can hear the blip of the heart monitor. He can hear the birds chirping outside of the window. He glances at the analog clock beside the bed. 6:00 AM. He groans and places his head down on the side of the bed, his hand never leaving Karin's.

* * *

I know what you're going to say,

"This isn't funny! It's all slow and Toshiro regretful ness."

I understand what your saying but no worries, Mistletoe is next!

Hip hip hurray for Mistletoe.

Review reply time!

Lunacat13- it's cool, that's why I made a note of it so people would know to go back. I do try not going overboard with things but sometimes it happens. I'm glad that it is staying under control in this story. I always mess up my nii-san and nee-san's though…

Gaming Girl- Nice to meet ya! I shall try.

oOoHKoOo- Thanks for going back to the last chapter even though you didn't have to. I agree with you, high school is a pain… I know about the whole hospital thing, I realized about two minutes after posting, but Flipomatic had already pointed it out. I just changed the beginning of this chapter to match it. P.S. Mistletoe is coming

SomeRandomPerson053- Honestly… the plot is there, but it is shallow. I'm just going with whatever I feel like, trying to add to their relationship as I go. The new story is up if you haven't seen it yet.

VanillaMostly- If I could draw, I would make a picture of Toshiro carrying Karin. Unfortunately, I have no skill whatsoever. Chapter one of the two-shot is up already, two is coming on Sunday I think.

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- I'm sorry; I know it's slow. It's going to be for a little longer here, but more exciting things are coming.

blacklightangel- I'm glad :)

Ziryx- … You are a strange cookie. It wasn't just any menos, it was an Adjucha. Karin's only been a soul reaper for a few years; an intelligent hollow could beat her.

meggie-moo s- I have a friend who is obsessed with shiny things, you guys would get along great. No, Karin isn't faking, she is actually hurt, although… I have no idea what she's dreaming about.

PunkRockHolly- right… no hospital. I fixed it in the first sentence of this chapter. Thanks for the heads up. That was almost bad…

tichtich2- What would I do without you? Your review really brightened my mood when I got it, so thank you. In order to jam as much as I can into one week, some stuff has to go on early and late in the day. One week can only take up so many chapters, or can it?

Lady Queria- Umm…. I don't know if I would call Karin "lasagna" but that is a funny way to put it. Newspaper headline, "Death By Ice Cream, Read All About It!"

Turtle-chan in Blue- sorry, you reviewed when it was an A/N, so I didn't… well I didn't think. Will you ever accept my apology?

xXBleachluverXx- No chemistry? I tried so hard….

flipomatic- Great job, you're my first reviewer. Thanks for the update about the hospital, next time though, just tell me in person so I can change it before everyone is commenting about it please!

I have another question for you:

Which chapter so far has been your favorite and why? Which chapter so far has been your least favorite and why?

I would appreciate it if you guys answered this, I'm always trying to improve my writing and this will help me greatly.

Thanks!


	9. You Missed Out

Sorry that this is so late, I've had a super busy week and weekend. I hope it is worth the wait

I hope you all read the two-shot (if not there is still time)

Disclaimer: Insert stupid saying about not owning Bleach here…

* * *

_Toshiro's thoughts_

* * *

_Day 4: 10 AM_

The Kurosaki household is still peacefully quiet, everyone either sleeping or sitting around. Well not everyone. For the eldest son of the house, it was not a peaceful morning. He was woken up around 6 to take care of a hollow, but Uryu beat him to it. Unable to take out his frustrations he snapped at the Quincy, regretting it immediately.

Fortunately, Uryu is an understanding type of guy and didn't take offense. The two teens ended up talking and walking around the town, and after 4 hours of walking find themselves back at Ichigo's house.

Ichigo jumps up onto the roof ledge outside of the room that Karin is staying in. Uryu follows and peers through the window, keeping a look of surprise from crossing his face. The perfect emotionless Uryu would never be surprised.

Inside, Karin is snoozing peacefully, which is normal. Her heartbeat meter is beating strong and she looks like she'll recover fine. What surprises Uryu is the other person in the room.

It appears to be an older version of Toshiro. He hadn't seen the captain in years, so he couldn't be sure. The boy was sitting next to the bed, fast asleep. His hand is wrapped tightly in Karin's, which is probably why Ichigo is angry.

Ichigo scowls and jumps off of the ledge.

"Is that who I think it is?" asks Uryu as he slides down from the ledge.

Ichigo nods, "What you just saw is going to cost me everything."

"Your right," agrees Uryu. Ichigo had already told him about the bet, which was going to fail from the start.

A light bulb flicks above Uryu's head. "I know!" he says smartly while pushing up his glasses.

"What?"

"You know how Rukia got them assigned to the world of the living?"

"Yes…."

"If you call the Seireitei and tell them that the hollow problem is solved, they will call squad 10 back to the Soul Society, you know how they are about having Soul Reapers in the world of the living when they aren't needed."

Ichigo's little light bulb finally clicks on. "Your right! Let's go!"

"Actually… I'm off to see Orihime, good luck." Uryu turns and walks away, waving over his shoulder as he goes.

This didn't surprise Ichigo, Uryu and Orihime have been dating for about a year and are still going strong.

Ichigo wanders off as well, he should find Rukia, make sure she's staying out of trouble.

He'll contact the Soul Society later…

* * *

Toshiro stirs slightly, slowly climbing out of his uneasy rest. He sits up and carefully opens his eyes.

He's greeted by the bright sun and turns his gaze away from the window.

"What am I doing here?" he mumbles quietly to himself. He looks down at the bed in front of him and all of last's night's craziness rushes back into his head.

Karin is either sleeping peacefully or she's in a coma, Toshiro can't tell. Her hand is still firmly pressed into Toshiro, warming his whole body up from the contact.

"Oh…" Toshiro drops Karin's hand like it's on fire and stands up from a quick stretch.

_I must have held her hand all night, how awkward._

Toshiro pushes his chair against the wall and sits down in it, taking in his surroundings as he goes. Other than the machinery, the room looks like any other. It has a closet, nightstand, corner lamp, just like any other room in the Kurosaki Clinic.

The walls are painted the typical off-white, making the room look quite large.

Toshiro only notices one difference. Tied to the ceiling, right above the bed, is a small plant. It is green with a few leaves and many dark berries growing around the center of the plant.

_It must be for healing or maybe good luck._

_Although… Isshin is crazy enough to try voodoo_

Toshiro's observation is cut short, as the door to the room swings open, revealing a fully rested Rukia, followed by Ichigo, who lucks just as exhausted as always.

Ichigo stares intensely at Karin's sleeping form, almost as if no one else is in the room. He blinks and shakes his head once before turning his gaze on Toshiro.

"You been here all night?" He half grunts, half asks, as if he doesn't care what the answer is.

Toshiro nods.

Ichigo sighs and plops down in one of the chairs.

Toshiro can see worry shining in Ichigo's eyes as he looks at the captain. Ichigo shifts his gaze away, over to Karin, and then finally he rests his eyes on Rukia. She has a wide grin on her face that is slowly shifting into a smirk.

If Toshiro only knew…

_Why is she smiling? Does she know something that I don't?_

"What's so funny?" asks Toshiro.

Rukia drops her smirk, leaving Ichigo to brood. "Ah… nothing, I just heard that Karin is going to be okay."

Ichigo looks back over at his sister. "Who told you that?" he asks.

"Karin did." Rukia sings.

"What?" Both boys shout, their jaws dropping.

"Shhh, Karin is sleeping." Rukia puts a finger to her mouth to silence them. "Anyways, Karin was up around 7 this morning, I went to get you Ichigo, but you weren't there. Hitsugaya-Taicho you were asleep and Karin didn't want to wake you, so we didn't."

Ichigo's frown deepens; he wanted to be here when she woke up.

Toshiro puts on a similar expression. "Next time, wake me up," he orders Rukia.

"Yes sir," she says seriously.

"You talking about me?"

Three heads spin around and stare as Karin forces herself to sit up, wincing at the pain.

"Karin, you should lay down," states Ichigo, rushing over to her side.

_Now I know that she wasn't in a coma…._

"I'm fine Ichi-nii, just relax, I woke up earlier you know."

"I know," Ichigo takes a moment to glare at Rukia. She smiles back, enjoying the moment.

Toshiro walks over a little slower, embarrassed that she must have known about him holding her hand.

Rukia places her hand on Ichigo's shoulder, dragging him back to give Toshiro and Karin some space.

Toshiro sits down on the side of the bed, trying to fight back a blush.

_Stupid hormones_

"I'm glad to see you awake," says Toshiro, going for the more formal approach.

Karin laughs and hits his shoulder gently, "Gosh Toshiro, your so serious all the time, lighten up."

Toshiro looks down at his hands, "If I weren't serious then between the two of us nothing would ever get done."

"I should be offended shouldn't I? Well I'm not…" Karin laughs again, and swings her feet over the side of the bed.

Rukia coughs, distracting them from their conversation. She points up and the three other people in the room follow her gaze.

The green plant from before is now hanging directly above Toshiro and Karin's heads. Karin immediately blushes but Toshiro just looks back at Rukia, confused.

Ichigo stomps his foot angrily, but stays silent. He can't say anything about the bet or else he loses automatically.

That is one of the only rules of Ichigo and Rukia's bets. In order to prevent immediate winning, or immediate sabotage, the people involved in the bet aren't allowed to know about it.

For example: If Uryu told Toshiro it would be Ichigo's responsibility because he told Uryu in the first place.

Back to the story, the plant is indeed mistletoe. A plant famous from having people kiss under it on Christmas.

Now isn't Christmas, but Toshiro doesn't know that, he doesn't even know what the plant is for.

"You have to kiss when you're caught under a mistletoe," says Rukia, basically stating public knowledge.

_What?_

"Give her a smooch!" encourages Rukia.

Toshiro looks over at Karin, unsure of what to do. Her face is getting redder by the second.

Staring at her blushing face, Toshiro can feel a little heat rising to his own face.

He leans in slightly and…

* * *

Review replies!

vampirebeast01- not really, I get that a lot. I'm glad that you want to keep reading and reading, but I hope to eventually finish this story.

blacklightangel- I try to update every week, nothing is going to change that. (You can keep trying if you want to)

oOoHKoOo- I like it when people rant, it clues me in on what's wrong with the story. It may be a little rushed, but it is the middle of the night, and I wanted to add something other than sadness into the chapter. A lot of people liked Intense Competition, and that's one I didn't love at all.

Kiki Ling- Ouch, that's way too late to still be up. I'm glad that you like the drama, but now we shift back into comedy!

PunkRockHolly- umm… it's an interesting idea, but I don't see Toshiro confessing his feelings while she sleeps, plus then I would have to take a day away from the story in order to let Karin recover. It would be funny though, if she were secretly awake.

Gaming Girl- He does need a hug, although if one was offered he would probably refuse, he's just so cold. Rukia and Ichigo have so far been my favorite part to write of the story. It amuses me.

xXBleachluverXx- If everyone felt that way then my story would have never gotten off of the ground. It started more on the humor side, I think….

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- I'm glad you didn't cry, I wouldn't want anyone to cry from reading my story. That might make me cry… We now return to the more crazy side of things, so no more crying!

Lady Queria- It's cool, I quite like lasagna. Yea Shiro gets a little corny, but it's hard to pair people up without getting a little corny or Ooc. That's what happens when you write about a side pairing. Ichigo and Rukia on the other hand… it's much easier to keep them in character.

Ziryx- I like Chocolate Chip as well. Especially the ones from school. Otis Spunkenmeyer… so good, so deadly.

Ziya Hitsugaya- That's the plan :) I'm glad you liked all of them.

meggie-moos s- So you're a fan of mushiness? It's good to know that I have reviewers from both sides of life. Mushiness and Humourness.

tichtich2- They might kiss, they might not, only time will tell. Thanks for your input on the chapters, if varies from most of the others but that is good! Ichigo is pretty dense so he would probably keep on chugging no matter what.

flipomatic- yup, that's Urahara for you, he probably knew the whole time when Karin would wake up, he just likes playing games too much.

Turtle-chan in Blue- Toshiro saved Karin, so Ichigo won't kill him, at least, not yet. I'm sorry if you couldn't remember, I just didn't want people complaining about repeating. I'll remember that or next time.

Finito

**Sorry, but you know me. The story wouldn't be half as fun if you didn't get to vote.**

Here are your options

Toshiro kisses Karin

Karin kisses Toshiro

Toshiro leans in, Karin leans away

Karin leans in, Toshiro leans away

No one leans in, hence no kissing

Ichigo steps in, hence no kissing

Isshin busts in, killing moment.

Anything I haven't thought of.

Thanks for your time :)


	10. A Kiss I Place On Your Fair Lips

WOW! I am so incredibly happy right now. We have cleared **150** reviews! That is huge! I couldn't even believe it when I saw the number get close to 150, and then smoothly sail past.

I did a little dance!

I have more news to celebrate; I have officially posted 100,000 words. I've been going for this goal for a few years now and happy that I have crossed this major point in my writing.

Your results!

Please keep in mind, if someone voted for more than one in their review I counted it for both.

Isshin bursts in: 18 votes

Karin Kisses Toshiro: 5 votes

Toshiro kisses Karin: 5 votes

They Kiss Each Other (equal leaning): 2 votes

Ichigo gets in the way: 1 vote

Kon leaps at plant: 1 vote

Toshiro kisses Karin's forehead: 1 vote

Indifferent: 1 vote

I've decided to do a mix of things, which you shall see shortly.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Toshiro gets closer, closer, closer, so close that he can feel the heat radiating from Karin's blushing face.

Karin fights to make herself lean back, but actually finds herself leaning forward. What a strange world we live in…

Closer

Closer

And then…

**SLAM!**

The door clangs open, crashing against the opposite wall loudly, causing all of the room's occupants to jump.

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) Toshiro and Karin are so close together that the jump causes their lips to brush ever so slightly.

Toshiro leaps back from the contact and prays that he doesn't start blushing like a child.

Karin looks away; she looks over at the door to see whom disturbed er… saved their moment.

"Oh my dear daughter Karin!" sings the person, prancing into the room with one arm extended. It swings into Ichigo's face as the man cuts through the crowd to his daughter's side.

It takes him about two seconds of looking at the two blushing teens, the plant above them, and the small amount of brain power he possesses to piece together the puzzle.

"Dad… what bad timing," mutters Karin as she tries to push the blush off of her face.

Isshin ignores her comment, as his grin grows even wider, "I know what's going on here! I didn't realize that I was going to have a second son so soon!" Isshin jumps up and down excitedly, clapping his hands together like a little kid.

Toshiro shakes his head, denying the statement made by Isshin. "It's not like that, it's just the plant up there…."

"Only works on Christmas," cuts in Ichigo, who is picking himself off the floor, knocked down by his father's surprise attack.

"What?" Toshiro looks over at Rukia, who is smirking happily at her success. She turns her gaze on Ichigo who just scowls angrily.

Karin puts one hand behind her head awkwardly, "Oops, I totally forgot that. Sorry Toshiro."

"Don't worry about it," Toshiro mumbles quietly, as if it is only for Karin's ears.

Rukia chuckles, "Besides, didn't they ever tell you in the Seireitei Hitsugaya-Taicho? A kiss is like a hello."

"I was only in the academy for a short time, I never learned of such things." Says Toshiro smoothly, regaining his composure.

Ichigo sneers at Rukia, "A kiss is like a hello huh?"

"Yup! Well anyways, I'm out of here. Have fun you two." Rukia waves goodbye to Karin and exits the room, whistling a tune to herself as she goes.

Ichigo follows shortly, and Isshin chuckles lightly before exiting as well.

Of course, we can't give Karin and Toshiro some time alone so in comes Urahara. "How are you feeling?" he asks sweetly, but it has undertones of something else.

"I'm fine, thank you." Replies Karin, steadying her voice to sound stronger.

Urahara shakes his head, "I doubt that, you need some more rest. Out with you!" Urahara turns his attention on Toshiro with that last order.

Toshiro nods and exits the room, off to find food and some clean clothes, maybe a shower.

Ichigo picks up the Seireitei phone line and dials in Yamamoto's number. One year ago, there was a mass hollow attack on earth and ever since Ichigo has had direct numbers to everyone in the Soul Society.

It rings twice before someone picks up the line.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Oh, hey Ichigo, this is Rin."

"Rin? What about Yamamoto."

"Uh… There was a request put in that all of your phone calls get re directed to me."

Damn that Rukia, she would pay for this.

"Can I talk to Yamamoto-Sou-Taicho?"

"Uh… What is it about?"

"Our hollow problem is over, and I think that squad 10 should return to the Seireitei."

"Let me get the Sou-Taicho for you."

Five minutes of Ichigo twiddling his thumbs and then the phone is picked up again.

"Hello. Kurosaki are you there."

"Ah, yes, I'm here."

"Good, I heard about what happened to your sister, is she faring well?"

"Yes, she will recover just fine. Now, about the hollow problem…"

"Yes, Rin filled me in on the situation. I believe that you are correct, if the hollow problem is diminished then squad 10 should return to the Seireitei."

"Yes! Um.. I mean all right."

"I'm not done yet. I want Kurosaki Karin to return to the Seireitei as well. Today has proved that she has not had enough training yet. She will come to the Seireitei for one day of instruction under Hitsugaya Toshiro before returning home."

"What? Um… That might not be the best idea sir, Karin is still recovering."

"She will be fine. I expect her to arrive by tonight, is that understood?"

"Yes sir…"

"I hope to hear from you soon."

"Bye." Ichigo clicks the phone shut, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What am I going to do now… with Karin gone for a whole day who knows what could happen. At least Rukia won't be going with them."

Ichigo steps back into his house, stepping lightly to not alert anyone of his presence. Unfortunately for him, Rukia is sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the door that he just walked through.

"Who were you talking to?" she asks nonchalantly.

"Just some people," mutters Ichigo, not wanting to give anything away to the prying Soul Reaper.

"What did those people have to say," Rukia inquires, a smile spreading across her face.

Ichigo sighs as he sits down across from Rukia, "They want Toshiro and Rangiku to go back up to the Seireitei tonight."

"And?"

_Rukia knows..._

"Were you spying on me?" Asks Ichigo, narrowing his eyes to focus his stare.

"Maybe, maybe not, just tell me what they said." Rukia says evenly, meeting Ichigo's gaze with her own.

They have a short staring contest, in which Rukia wins, as Ichigo is too angry to concentrate.

"They want Karin to go to the Seireitei for a day to be trained by Toshiro," Ichigo admits bitterly.

Rukia stands up from the table and walks towards the door, "You can tell her yourself if you want."

Ichigo nods, "I plan on it, where are you going?"

Rukia nudges the front door open as she answers, "Oh, I'm just off to tell Hitsugaya-Taicho and Matsumoto-Fuku Taicho that they will be off to the Seireitei tonight. Karin is going with them at course. They are over at Inoue's so I figured I would walk over there."

"Fine," Ichigo rises from the table and makes his way over to Karin's room. He must discuss things with her immediately.

Rukia slides out the door and shuts it behind her with a small 'click.'

Off to find Toshiro!

* * *

Review Reply Time, these are super long today!

Lina Schiffer- I will do my very best! I always try and make my stuff good, if it isn't good then I won't post it.

Switmikan74- your embarrassing me… thanks for the compliment, although I don't really deserve it. Sometimes I look at other people work and think 'why do people even read mine?'

headyzest- you kind of got what you voted for… Ichiruki parts of the story are my favorite parts to work on. Ichigo is a hoot to write and Rukia can do just about anything! I'm not very old so romance is something that I'm a beginner at but I'm learning just like Toshiro and Karin.

oOoHKoOo- If I didn't do a cliffhanger, I couldn't get a vote, and you know how I am about voting… Of course I shall update soon, I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone now would I?

Gaming Girl- there first kiss is special, sort of. It is in front of the great Ichigo Kurosaki! Dun dun dun… I couldn't leave it out, too many people wanted it in.

Princess Karin Hitsugaya- Thanks for voting, that is a very good idea you have there.

RainingSun- Kawaii! I love that saying, it made me chuckle. Yes, Isshin is the coolest in all the land. No one beats Isshin!

Lia- it is an interesting idea, but it would only really work if Isshin was in the main living area, because that is where the poster is. I doubt he has a poster in Karin's hospital room. It would be funny though…

Ziryx- they are soooo good, I can't resist their yummy smell and taste. Ah… no Yuzu, it would be a little out of character for her I think.

Kaishei- Isshin sure is a popular choice. I guess he is just so loving and fun that he can't help but be voted for over and over again :) Thanks for voting.

Little Gypsy Girl- Ah yes… Ichigo needs a good hammering in order to keep him in line. Rukia usually has that part covered but I guess Isshin can step in every once in a while to deal out some pain to the carrot top. I try super duper hard to keep them in character. Like, really really hard.

Lady Queria- first lasagna and now this! As funny as that would be, Karin is injured and jumping Toshiro wouldn't really be her thing. She might pounce on him during soccer though and end up making out, hmm…. Anyways, thanks for voting!

Kawaii-Kuro-Koneko- Yes for pictures! Well no, but it's a good idea. As for the wedding, Isshin is rather protective and that might be pushing just a little too far. It's not like I'm going to have them make out or anything.

PunkRockHolly- your wish is my command! Your request is pretty close to what I actually did in the story. Thanks for the input.

tichtich2- of course there's more to come! It would probably tear me apart if I had to stop now, I would miss writing these chapters and review replies. Ichigo separation was kind of killed right off when everyone seemed to prefer Isshin as a mood destroyer but he still counts for something! I'm not too cruel, only slightly cruel. I think it's funny to torture you. Bwahahaha…

meggie-moo s- umm… no it's spelled Isshin. You were missing an h. Thanks for voting!

Moon of Jupiter- You can definitely vote, I didn't even think about that kind of thing until you mentioned it. What a good idea. I'll borrow it, but make it a little different to suit the story. Thanks for your input!

Morningstar04- lol, I hear you, I hear you. I'm glad you like the story and no worries, there shall be kissing!

AnimeLover717216- What kind of story would this be without cliffhangers? Oh… and dramatic irony, the story would be nothing without it.

xXBleachluverXx- Leaning is fun, especially when I have the power to manipulate the characters however I want to. They may not want to kiss, but they have too, and boy… they better like it!

Sora Moto- Yes but in Karin's wounded state couldn't she forget that Mistletoe is Christmas only. Or maybe… she just wants an excuse to kiss the captain and planned this out with Rukia ;)

Rain From The Frosted Heavens- eh… I think forehead kissing would kind of kill the moment, but that's just my opinion. Isshin killing the moment is always fun. Thanks for voting.

the City is at War- hehe I could totally see Ichigo taking his anger out on Toshiro because of his own bad choices. Shouldn't make a bet unless you know you can win.

whitegrlanimeluver- yes! Yes! Yes! What a perfect idea. This is why I should write review replies before the chapter… bad planning on my part for sharing this with you now but your vote is in the story! :)

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- No worries, your vote can count for both. We can have both kissing and Isshin at the same time! Thanks for voting even if you couldn't narrow it down to one choice.

Turtle-chan in Blue- Kon isn't in the room but it would be funny if he was…

Thelanblossom- and I can't wait for you to read more too! It isn't mean of you to vote for Isshin, it's just fun! Who wouldn't want to torture Toshiro and Karin. Well… maybe you don't but I do.

flipomatic- and for all you know, Isshin was waiting outside the door the whole time, waiting for his moment to jump in ;)

And that ends the super long Review Replies.

I now must once again thank you all for reviewing and voting in the last chapter.

I don't have anything for you this chapter.

All I can do is ask that you look deep down into your hearts and leave me a message describing your feelings for this chapter.

Maybe tell me about your favorite food, or your favorite color.

Just say something!

Thanks!


	11. Off To The Seireitei

I must apologize for the late posting, I had no time this weekend and am just getting to type this up now.

I am happy to say that I didn't lose all of my reviews when there wasn't a poll so…

YAY!

This chapter chops my deadlines up completely. I'm above the 10th chapter, and beyond 2 months.

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, I would broadcast it on the radio and on TV, giving is super attention! This should just prove to you all that I do not own Bleach.

Enjoy!

* * *

Rukia skips happily up to Orihime's front door and knocks gently. After a moment of silence, Rangiku answers the door. "What is it?" she asks seriously, thinking that something might have happened to Karin.

Rukia peers around Rangiku's busty body into the house. "Toshiro's not here?" she asks.

Rangiku shakes her head no, "He went out an hour ago, I think he said something about the park."

Rukia slides inside, just thinking of the perfect ness of the moment. "Is Orihime home?"

"Nope, she went grocery shopping." Rangiku closes the door and plops down on a nearby couch. "So what's up?"

Rukia sits down across from her, trying to keep a somewhat serious face. "Squad 10 has been called back to the Seireitei, it has been determined that they are no longer needed in the world of the living."

Rangiku nods solemnly, "What does that mean for the bet?"

Rukia puts up one hand and can't hold her smile back any longer, "You didn't let me finish. You two aren't the only ones going to the Seireitei. Kurosaki Karin is to join you for one day of training from Hitsugaya-taicho. The head captain doesn't believe that Karin is strong enough, so he wants her to train under your captain for just one day to hone her skills."

Rangiku is now hosting a similar smile to Rukia's as she takes in the idea. "So it's on me now, what do you want me to do?"

"First…."

The two girls get closer together to share their plans…

* * *

_At the same time_

Toshiro gets tired of kicking a soccer ball into an open net, so he heads off to check on Karin. That girl could drown herself in a puddle if you left her alone for too long. He walks slowly back the house, enjoying the fresh air.

Eventually he gets back to the Kurosaki home and slips inside. The door is unlocked, making Toshiro's entrance easier than expected. He walks down the narrow side hallway and knocks on Karin's door.

"Come in." Someone, probably Karin, calls from inside the room.

Toshiro pushes open the door, finding himself staring straight into the intense gaze of Ichigo Kurosaki. "What?" Toshiro asks, looking away from the carrot top. He looks over at Karin, who is already much livelier and healthier looking than a little while ago.

"Ichigo was just going to tell me something, he said it had to do with you." Karin makes a motion for Toshiro to sit in one of the chairs.

Toshiro shoots a confused look at Ichigo, "What is she talking about Kurosaki?" he asks cautiously.

Ichigo sighs, "I guess you haven't heard yet, so I might as well be the one to tell you. Squad 10 has been recalled back to the Seireitei."

Karin pulls a face but doesn't say anything.

"That's too bad, with Karin injured this place needs some more protecting," says Toshiro.

Karin decides to add in with, "We only got to hang out for a few days Toshiro. You know what this means? It means you have to visit more!"

"Ah…" Ichigo cuts in to the small moment generating between the younger teens, "I wasn't done yet. Karin, you are going up to the Seireitei as well, but you will only stay for a day. Toshiro is supposed to train you. Yamamato said that you were too weak and needed more training."

Karin smiles and sits back a little on the bed, "That's awesome! I won't go easy on you during our training Toshiro."

Toshiro just sighs, "Fine… but I won't go easy on you either."

"Hah! If you went easy then you would lose in ten seconds flat!"

"Wanna bet on it?"

"Woah, woah!" Ichigo cuts in, "No bets, betting is bad. You shouldn't get involved in that kind of stuff Karin." (A/N: Irony! I love it)

"We were just kidding around Ichi-nii. It will be fun to go up to the Seireitei, what time do we leave?"

"Tonight."

* * *

_That night_

The Seireitei is the polar opposite of the world of the living. When it is warm in the Seireitei, the world of the living is usually on the colder side. Vice versa is true, but not as harshly as the first. The Seireitei is protected by Soul Reapers, so it doesn't suffer from the weather changes as much.

Needless to say, nights in Karakura are cold. Very, very cold. Karin wraps her scarf tighter around her neck and a small chill creeps down her spine.

She glances over at Toshiro, who is dressed as if it were 90 degrees outside. "H-how can you not be cold?" she stammers.

Toshiro glances up at the dark night sky as he answers, "I am the ice, this weather is perfect for me."

Rangiku walks up to the two of them quietly. "It's time to go, Urahara says that the portal is ready."

"Ok." Karin jumps off of the bench that she was resting on and shakes some warmth into her body.

The three of them go over to Urahara, who is measuring the sides of his portal with a measuring tape.

"Hmm… I don't know about this," he mumbles to himself.

"Don't know about what?" Toshiro demands crossly.

"Ah! Hitsugaya-taicho, you see, I don't know if the portal is stable enough for three separate people to go through. Two of you could always try to trick the portal by traveling close together, but obviously Matsumoto-fukutaicho can't do that." Urahara measures the sides again and shifts to the up and down sides for measurements.

Toshiro sighs in frustration, "Why did you set it up like this?"

Urahara scoffs from his kneeling position, "It's the cold, I didn't think that the portal would be affected, but it appears to be shrinking even as we talk here."

Urahara looks over Toshiro's shoulder and makes eye contact with Rangiku, mischievousness sparkling in his eyes.

"I know!" Shouts Rangiku, "What if Hitsugaya-taicho and Karin-chan went together. They are both smaller than me, and I bet one of them could ride on the others back."

Karin starts to shake her head no, but Toshiro pauses to think.

"If we have to…" he says grudgingly. He leans down and motions for Karin to climb on. "Let's go Kurosaki, we don't have all day."

"Why do I have to be on top?" Karin crosses her arms and lets out a 'hmph'.

"Because I'm the captain!"

Rangiku sighs and nudges Karin towards Toshiro, "Come on Karin-chan, before we lose the portal completely. How about this, I'll go first, and you guys can follow me."

Karin nods and let's out a small sigh of defeat.

Rangiku launches through the portal and disappears. Toshiro once again tries to place Karin on his back, and this time she complies. "I am going to kill Urahara for this," they both mumble under their breath at the same time.

Toshiro shifts Karin so she's comfortable on his back and hustles through the portal.

_Don't think about it… She's just Karin. Her hair doesn't smell nice or anything…._

After a few moments of running, the two pop out in the Seireitei.

A flash goes off in their faces and both teens see white spots. When their vision clears, Rangiku is standing in front of them, smiling evilly, pocketing the camera before they can take it.

Toshiro dumps Karin, who lets out an 'umph' as she throws her feet down to catch her fall. Toshiro walks away slowly, leaving time for Karin to call after him. "Where are you going?"

Toshiro glances over his shoulder at the angry girl, "I have to report in, find yourself a place to stay. We start training in the morning."

With his business finished, Toshiro shunpos off to the meeting center to report.

"See you around Karin," says Rangiku sympathetically. She too shunpos off, probably to report to some other vice captains or something.

Karin looks around, the last time she had been here was… well a long time ago. "I wonder if they have any maps?" she wonders aloud.

* * *

That was fun! The next chapter will be spent with Karin looking for a place to stay, and maybe some training too.

I can't believe we aren't into day 5 yet. It's interesting, but a little sad to know that I can't keep things moving.

"This just in! Review Replies!"

Lady Queria- lol sorry about misspelling clothes. It would be quite funny, but in this story, she's been to the soul society once before, although she will get into fights ;) Soccer match and then kissing? Maybe as an 'accidental' celebration thing but I couldn't see it go beyond that. Oh no… now you've planted ideas into my head.

blacklightangel- I'm sorry, I couldn't "update soon" because of my crazy life. It's fine that you couldn't vote, I hoped you liked what it ended up as. I love white rice too, but only with lots and lots of soy sauce.

IsbellaJacob2521- I'm glad it makes you laugh, I like knowing that my stuff is making people feel better. As for Toshiro, I've been a little worried that he may be too weak, and not enough like an ice cube, do you get what I'm saying?

meggie-moo s- hehe your review made me laugh. No prob about spelling, that is how I originally spelled it in the story, but I went back and fixed it later on. Of course they are going to kiss, it's love!

oOoHKoOo- I love torturing Ichigo… and Toshiro has more than one day left. If Rukia (or Toshiro himself) can trick the head command into sending him back down to the world of the living, then Toshiro will still have days 6 and 7 to win her over. Rukia has very large sleeves….

Gaming Girl- training always brings out the best emotions in people. I could imagine that kind of thing with Karin, but in my story she's already been once so it will be a little different. Fighting is a must have though ;)

vampirebeast01- Actually, I really do care about your favorite food and such. I'm not a huge sushi fan, maybe if it wasn't wrapped in seaweed…. What do you think chapters are? I don't have them like babies overnight, and I certainly don't skimp off on these replies :D

Lina Schiffer- Thanks! I feel like a change of environment for a little while will be good for the story. It also brings the Soul Reapers into this insanity. I like noodles too!

RainingSun- I like making people laugh, that kind of thing makes me feel worthwhile you know? Not worthless… Thanks for saying something, I have a friend who is really into the color yellow, and I like red, so this is a win win! Sushi pizza…. Not so much.

Little Gypsy Girl- Not proper, which means that she doesn't have to count it! Karin has more than a day, if she can convince Toshiro to back to the world of living then she has a little longer. Plus, Rangiku is there to ensure everything goes as planned.

headyzest- I dunno about Ichigo and Rukia. Sure their relationship is moving forward, but they are kind of locked in a serious competition. Ichigo would probably accuse Rukia of sabotage if she made a move on him and vice-versa. I know! I'll have a vote! I like votes…

whitegrlanimeluver- Your welcome, your welcome, your welcome. It was my honor to use your idea! Sorry for the late update… I feel kind of bad about it.

MKBunny- The get together is definitely going to be as last minute as possible. The longer that the relationship drags on, the more chapters I get to write! I'm glad you like the story, I feel that this one is one of my best works.

flipomatic- wouldn't be much of a comedy without it now would it?

Turtle-chan in Blue- There are soooo many things wrong with people (lets not go into detail) I took them to the soul society because now I can include all of the crazy Soul Reapers that live there!

PunkRockHolly- it was only a couple hundred shorter than the normal… A mistake on my part, I probably should have thrown the beginning of this chapter on the end of that one.

Ziryx- both, I love sabotaging Ichigo and Rukia is just doing all of my dirty work. Isshin has very few purposes, and this is one of them!

tichtich2- You can thank Frostfire (the hollow) for Karin's return to the soul society. I don't want you to stop reviewing (as we discussed) I would miss your awesomeness and then I could never reply again. :( so just keep coming! :)

"And that is the end of this urgent broadcast!"

POLL TIME: I'm not sure what to do here, so if you want to share your opinion, please do.

Should Ichigo and Rukia get together at the end of the story?

Yes

No

Undecided


	12. Finding A Place To Sleep

200 reviews! I never thought there would be a day where I could say that for one of my stories.

It is all thanks to you wonderful reviewers. You guys cheer me up each and every day and I am learning and growing from your constant help and support.

So…. Basically everyone wants me to do IchiRuki. The only problem is how? I really was hoping someone would say no, but now I have to work something out for them. We shall see…

Disclaimer: I don't want to say it… not owning Bleach just makes me so sad.

* * *

Map in one hand, pen in the other, Karin finds herself wandering down one of the many confusing passages of the Seireitei.

They all look the same, making it difficult to get anywhere fast. On top of that, someone thought it would be funny to build in dead ends, so every other turn leads you into another wall.

Karin turns down a corridor, and comes onto another dead end. She clicks her pen and makes an x over the hallway on her map.

"All I have to do is find a place to stay, why is this so difficult?" Karin grumbles to herself.

She follows another corridor and finds herself at a large white building. On the front door is a large 1.

Karin goes up the building, figuring that there might be people inside.

She is right; Karin has managed to find the barracks for squad 1, a prestigious and proud squad. She nudges the door open and enters a large, open space.

There is another door on the far end, with a desk sitting next to it. At the desk is a very bored looking Soul Reaper. "What?" the Soul Reaper asks crossly.

"I'm just looking for a place to stay," responds Karin, "Is there anyone around here that I can talk to about getting a room for a night?"

The Soul Reaper sighs and pulls out a small laptop from inside the desk. "Name?"

"Karin Kurosaki."

"Karin….. You're not on the list."

Karin crosses the room and peeks onto the laptop's screen. "What do you mean? I didn't know there was a list."

"If you didn't make a reservation, you can't stay here." The Soul Reaper shuts the laptop with satisfaction, looking smug that he is right and someone else is wrong for the first time in a long time. "Well, move along."

"Fine," Karin shuffles to the door, muttering about stupid reservations as she goes. One step from the door, she has an idea, "Can I by any chance get directions to other squad barracks's?" she asks sweetly.

The Soul Reaper fishes through his desk, coming up with another map. He scribbles on it for a few moments and Karin goes across the room once again to fetch it from him.

"Thanks!" Karin leaves the building and sits down outside of it to study her new map. Every squad barracks is labeled, and they appear to go in order from where she is now. Karin studies for about ten more seconds, before getting sick of studying.

She stands back up and starts to make her way down a path that should lead her to the 2nd squad barracks.

After walking for about 30 minutes, Karin figures that she passed the barracks and tries to loop back around, eventually finding another building. Unfortunately, this building isn't one of squad 2's. Nope! Karin has found her way to the squad 4 medical facilities.

Karin steps inside the building and is met with immediate chaos. Soul Reapers are running everywhere, some pushing wheelchairs or stretchers, others talking urgently to hell butterflies.

The third seat of the squad is standing in a nearby corner, scribbling rapidly in some book. He glances up when Karin steps inside, and snaps his book shut.

"What are you doing here? You aren't wounded…" He circles Karin once, just to make sure that he is correct.

Karin takes a step away from the creepy man, "No sorry, I think I wandered here by mistake. You guys take care of the wounded?"

"Yes, and we are busy so get out of here." The Soul Reaper points to the door, giving Karin a clear sign that she has to leave.

Karin is determined and holds her ground for a second longer, "Do you have any rooms open?"

"No! Get out!" The Soul Reaper pushes her 'gently' out the door, making sure to slam it in her face.

Karin stands outside for a moment and hears someone pulling out a book, and then rapid scribbling with mutterings about "stupid outsiders."

Karin pulls out a black sharpie and crosses off the corresponding building on her map.

"One place down, a bunch to go." Karin sets off once again into the maze of hallways.

She walks, and walks, and walks some more, once again skipping over many important places. After walking for quite some time, Karin finds the third building of the night, the barracks to squad 13. "What? How did I go so far?" Karin stares at her map and then slowly flips it over.

"Much better…" Karin goes up to the barracks, there isn't any reason not to try and find a place to stay.

The barracks looks deserted and Karin warily steps inside. She glances around, checking every corner for danger.

Seeing nothing, she moves across the room and can suddenly hear two Soul Reapers screaming at each other from the room next door.

"I care about the Captain way more than you do?"

"Really? I've served under him much longer than you have!"

"That's because you're older dim-wit, but I've served under him longer in spirit."

"That's a bunch of…."  
"Guys can you quiet down, I'm trying to rest."

"Yes Captain!"

"Me too Captain!"

"Why do you always repeat everything I say?"

"Do not!"  
"Do too…"

Karin backs away from the wall, making sure not to make any noise. This doesn't sound like a squad that wants to be disturbed, and Karin has no problem granting them that wish.

She makes another mark on her map and exits the barracks.

She takes a path back towards where she came from and starts whistling, "On the road again."

She doesn't walk for long before finding herself at the training area for Squad 11. Sounds of fighting and bamboo swords clashing fill the air, and Karin peeks inside the training area.

Yumichika and Ikkaku are going at it, broken bamboo swords lay everywhere on the floor, but Ikkaku seems to have the advantage.

"Woah…" Karin looks around the room, which is crowded with Squad 11 members who are watching the fight. Kenpachi is sitting there too, smiling as he probably thinks about killing someone.

The fight only lasts for a few seconds more as Ikkaku dramatically pretends to behead Yumichika. The crowd cheers and Ikkaku strikes his traditional 'lucky' pose.

Kenpachi looks away from the fight, noticing for the first time that someone who isn't in his squad is in the room.

"Who are you?" he asks gruffly. Everyone stops talking and turn to face Karin.

"I am Kurosaki Karin," she states clearly, "I wandered upon your training grounds by mistake, I'll just be leaving…."

"Wait," Kenpachi puts up one hand for her to stop. "Your Ichigo's little sister? Let's fight!"

Karin puts on hand on the door behind her and a bead of a sweatdrop starts to form on her forehead. "I actually don't have time to fight right now… I have to go."

"If your Ichigo's sister then you must be a good fighter. I haven't had a good fight since my one with that carrot top."

Karin sighs and decides to take a different approach. "Ichigo came with me you know, he's sleeping in squad 13's barracks tonight. You should go find him and challenge him to a fight."  
Kenpachi licks his lips in a very creepy way. "You're right… come on Yachiru, let's go find Ichigo!"

A little girl, presumably Yachiru, jumps up on Kenpachi's shoulder and brushes past Karin and runs out the door.

Karin says goodbye to Ikkaku and Yumichika and heads back out onto the paths. The sun is down by now and a full moon shines brightly above Karin's head.

"Another one off the list, where should I 'try' and go now? Maybe Rangiku will let me stay with her." Karin lines herself up on the path and says a quick prayer before setting off for her last time of the night.

The squad 10 barracks is lit up with night life, the squad must go to sleep pretty late. Karin steps inside the main room and is surprised to find a bunch of unconscious drunk people lying everywhere on the ground. In the corner is Toshiro, who has on hand on his forehead, he is clearly trying to 'not see' what is going on.

Rangiku is standing next to him, giggling and holding onto what may be her 10th bottle of sake. She sees Karin and waves rapidly.

Karin crosses the room, being careful not to step on any of the unconscious Soul Reapers as she goes. "What happened?" she asks.

Rangiku laughs, "This is nothing. We like to drink is all. So what brings you here?"

Karin chuckles slightly and places one hand behind her head. "You see…. I couldn't really find anywhere to stay for the night so I was wondering if I could sleep here.

"Sure!" Rangiku pats Karin on the back and laughs loudly, "You could have asked earlier you know, I would've said yes. She can stay, right captain?"

Toshiro sighs, "Yes, but where is she going to stay. We don't have any free rooms right now."

"That isn't a problem, she'll stay in your room! It's large and I'm sure that Karin will fit in just fine."

Karin turns the plead on and gives Toshiro the most convincing look she can manage. "Please Toshiro, I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Fine!" Toshiro huffs and spins around to walk down a nearby hallway. "Follow me."

Toshiro leads Karin down a long hallway and into a room that is labeled "Captain" on the outside. Inside is a bed, a dresser, and a few paintings up around the room. Toshiro grabs one of the pillows off of his bed and goes over to the dresser, soon coming up with a blanket. "I'll take the floor." He states and drops his stuff down at the foot of the bed.

Karin smiles at the kind gesture, but doesn't say anything. She sits down on the edge of Toshiro's bed while he tries to get comfy on the floor.

After a few moments he settles down and Karin flicks off the lit lamp. She lays down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling.

Her mind starts to drift but stays focused on one important fact.

_The bed smells like Toshiro…._

* * *

I once again must apologize for this being so incredibly late. I got distracted by mohaa and didn't get the typing done.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I was aiming to be funny so let me know if it worked!

I will now thank you with review replies

bjacobs101- I don't know… the story is more focused on Toshiro and Karin than on Ichigo and Rukia. Toshiro needs all of the attention that he can get!

whitegrlanimeluver- yes yes yes! I love repeating words three times too. In this video game for the Nintendo ds this girl goes, yea yea yea, and you tap four times, ai ai ai ai. It's fun. So you think that Toshiro and Karin should turn matchmaker, hmm…

Gaming Girl- they aren't that small…. You should see some of my older stories that are only 500 words. Now that is small.

blacklightangel- Thank you! Someone who is voicing the same doubt as me. I'll do my best to try and fit them in.

Lady Queria- I'm glad you took the time to type me a review! When does Karin not cause chaos? You should get some sleep ;)

hitsukarinluver- Yup, Karin rode on Toshiro's back, Urahara played a nasty trick on them.

vampirebeast01- *sigh, your vote has been heard, thanks!

Ebbie54- That's a good idea, but if I did do a sequel, it would probably focus more on Ichigo and Rukia and less on Toshiro and Karin. I shall update when I am ready!

meggie-moo s- I am so jealous! I still have three weeks of school!

xXBleachluverXx- I don't know if Toshiro knows how to be more romantic. He's gonna have to learn!

tichtich2- Everything I say is meant to be funny :D I want to join team awesomeness! Toshiro is a moody teenage boy, and as far as I am aware, all teenage boys are mood swingy. We are both awesome! You should write something!

maxride4life- *Imagines this story playing out in head, ooh :) Closets are always fun. Nice idea!

Turtle-chan in Blue- They aren't betting against anyone, it was just a joke and a jibe against Ichigo.

Ebbie54- did you review twice? I love you!

ScienceAngel- I can't stand Orihime! I'm sorry… I just really can't stand her. She has no brain, the smartest thing she says is that she is connecting the earth to the sky. Ichigo to Rukia.

The City Is At War- You are a man of many words! Thanks for voting.

Ziryx- I love irony so much, it's my favorite writing tool to use. Uryu isn't much use to anyone lol…. Nexus!

Lunacat13- Awkward happens, it's because I'm so inexperienced in real life. Maybe I should do a little first person in the next chapter… you've got the wheels turning!

HitsuKarin-sama- I think I got the message :)

PunkRockHolly- As funny as that would be, Karin is a little young. Most of the Soul Reapers are over 100 years old, I doubt that they would take interest in Karin.

flipomatic- Or course Urahara is working with Rukia! Duh… lol write more letters!

And the thanking is over!

Please review if you would like to be thanked in the future!


	13. Training

I am sooooo sorry guys, I've been so distracted lately. I've just… lost track of time I guess, I have no excuse, I hope you can all forgive me.

I joined a pc video game clan, and it's basically been sucking up all of my time.

We play mohaa and most Battlefield games. If you play those, I suggest you check out my clan's site and sign up! Well... it didi absorb my life anyway, and the people were cool, but all my friends left, so I ended up dropping out.

I'm sorry if you guys aren't inspired to review after today, that's my own fault…

I feel really guilty about not writing more sooner, I hope you all enjoy what I've got for you.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Bleach, I wish I owned Bleach, I wish I owned Bleach. *taps shoes together three times* nothing? Oh well…

* * *

"Attack me," Toshiro holds his sword steadily in his hands and allows a small smirk to show on his face as he stares down his opponent.

She glares back at him, letting all of the intensity of the upcoming battle show in her eyes like fire. She draws her sword, and shuffles from one foot to the other, slowly circling the 10th squad captain.

Their eyes remain locked onto each others as Toshiro makes sure to keep Karin square in front of him, he wouldn't be able to defend himself as efficiently if he allowed her to slip behind him. "You aren't going to win by just standing there," he taunts, trying to get a rise out of the teen.

Karin springs into action, clashing her sword against Toshiro's, making him take a step back to keep his balance. "Just waiting for the right moment," she hisses through her teeth before sidestepping and trying to jab Toshiro in the side.

The jab goes as planned, but the sword meets thin air as Toshiro disappears and reappears behind Karin, his sword pressed dangerously against her jugular.

"Damn it," Karin curses and drops her sword, placing her hands up in defeat.

Toshiro takes his sword away from Karin's exposed neck, and pulls a sheet of paper out of his pocket. He writes down the word "Dead" and underlines it, making one tally underneath the word.

"What's that?" Karin asks as she scoops up her sword.

Toshiro refolds the sheet as he answers, "I'm going to keep track of how many times I kill you throughout the day."

"What if I kill you?" Karin asks mischievously.

"That… won't happen," Toshiro says it coldly and clearly, giving his best, 'I'm 100% sure that I'm right' voice a go.

Karin raises her sword and points it at the white haired captain; "I guess I'm going to have to prove you wrong."

"What point would it be if the student could kill the teacher?"

Karin chuckles, "That's how most evil come to power, they kill their teacher of evil, like a surpassing thing. Don't you watch movies ever?"

Toshiro shakes his head no, "We don't have movies here." Deciding to change the topic, Toshiro sheathes his sword and places it on a nearby stone, "Let's do some hand to hand combat."

"Sure, Tatsuki taught me some martial arts on earth, so I'm gonna kick your butt Toshiro." Karin sheathes her sword and places it besides Toshiro.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho," Toshiro corrects Karin sternly.

"Yea yea, whatever Toshiro, come on, let's get started." Karin raises her fists up to protect her face, and punches the air in front of her in excitement.

Toshiro brings his own fists up to match Karin's and they once again begin to circle around each other. "I'll make the first move," states Toshiro, "just try to defend yourself."

Karin nods, and quickly blocks her hands outward when Toshiro moves in with a left hook. From there, they run around punching and kicking like maniacs, both blocking when needed, and not many hits actually found their mark.

Eventually, Toshiro gets tired of playing around, so he picks up the pace, using his speed to ensure that he will take the victory. Karin tries her hardest, but after a while gets tired and starts to slow down.

"You got tired fast," remarks Toshiro as he tries to nail her with an upper punch.

"I'm just getting started," states Karin, even though exhaustion from the fight is creeping into her eyes.

Toshiro pauses when he sees this. "Let's take a break, we still have the rest of the day and I don't want you getting sick on me from overworking."

Karin plops down, the fight draining out of her. She lies back on the grass that they were fighting on moments ago, letting out a sigh as she turns her attention to the clouds. Karin pats the ground next to her and glances over at Toshiro, the message quite clear.

"Fine," Toshiro grumbles but smiles gently as he lies down next to Karin. Toshiro glances as his watch. It reads "12:00" the day is half over, only half a day of training left until Karin leaves. _It'll really suck once she's gone. Life will go back to being boring I guess._

"Half a day till I'm out of here," Karin says, voicing Toshiro's thoughts out loud. "You'll probably celebrate once I'm gone."

"Huh?" Toshiro looks over at Karin and tries to catch her eyes, but she is focusing on the clouds. "What do you mean Karin?"

Karin shrugs gently, "Your always annoyed by me, want me to shut up, you probably are pissed that you have to waste a day training me."

Toshiro's eyes widen slightly as he listens to Karin talk. _Does she really think I hate her that much?_

"It's not like that at all," Toshiro says firmly, "I… er…." A small blush spreads across Toshiro's face as he tries to find the right words to say.

"Wow! The 10th squad captain, speechless for the first time in his life." Karin keeps her eyes focused up, and misses his cute blushing.

Toshiro turns his head anyway, to hide his embarrassment, "What I'm trying to say is… I don't hate you, or anything like that." He blurts out and looks over at Karin to gauge her reaction.

"I don't understand then," Karin looks over at him for the first time in a while, "You're always so cold around me….."

"The captain, cold around you? You should see him when you aren't here." A loud voice booms, causing both Toshiro and Karin to jump up into a sitting position on the ground.

"Matsumoto," Toshiro says darkly, "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to make sure you were still training and not getting frisky with each other, I see I showed up at a good time," Matsumoto smiles knowingly at the two of them.

"What?" Karin jumps up to her feet, "We… him and I…. Were not doing that!"

Rangiku laughs loudly and pats Toshiro on the head, "Dang captain, you got a lively one. As I was saying when I walked up, Toshiro is a completely different person when you're around Karin. In an ordinary crowd, he barely talks unless he has to, and barely interacts with anything living. But when you're around, he's much livelier."

Toshiro buries his face in one hand to cover his increasingly growing blush. "Don't you have work to be doing Matsumoto?" He glares at his vice captain and venom drips from his words.

Matsumoto glances at her watch, "Oh my captain, you're right! I so have to work, see you later Karin!" Matsumoto skips off happily, her task completed.

**Matsumoto's task: Embarrass Toshiro and push them together at the same time Status: Completed**

Rangiku whips out her cell and dials up Rukia. "Task completed," she sings when Rukia answers the phone.

"Great, now we just need them to actually get together, does the seireitei ever launch fireworks?"

"I don't know… there's always a first time for everything."

"This is their only night away from Ichigo, it's our best shot, you can get the fireworks from Shukaku and launch them from a field at night. Then all you have to do is somehow get Karin and Toshiro to be near each other and alone during that time."

"How do I do that?"

"Your smart Rangiku, I'm sure you'll figure something out…"

"I could drug them!"

"I don't think that would work, they wouldn't remember anything if you did that."

"I got to go, Renji's walking towards me."

"Bye"

Rangiku shuts the phone and pockets it quickly as Renji steps in front of her.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper, which he unfolds 10 times. "This is from Ichigo," he says gruffly.

He reads, "Dear Rangiku, I know you are helping Rukia with the bet, however, if you help me, I can make it worth your while. I know where all of the stores of alcohol are in 6th squad barracks. They never drink, but they want a balanced budget so they buy tons of alcohol and just lock it up places. If you help me, I will give you the location of all of this alcohol. What do you say?

Ichigo"

For the second time that day, Rangiku laughs loudly, this time bending over and putting her hands on her knees. "Renji, you can tell Ichigo that I've already cleared out the 6th barracks, so he's going to have to come up with a better bribe than that."

"I'll let him know. By the way, this is just between the two of us, right?"

Rangiku nods, "Of course."

Renji walks away, his head hanging slightly.

**Renji's task: Recruit Rangiku, Status: Failed**

_10 minutes later_

"He said what?" Rukia practically yells over the phone.

"Exactly what I just said, he tried to bribe me to join him with alcohol."

"That cheater, he can't steal my friends!"

"Right on sister, we should get him back."

"You said Renji came up to you, I wonder if we can sway him to our side."

"How would we do that?"

"Black mail…."

* * *

Look guys, I did it, I BROKE MY WRITER'S BLOCK.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes….

:D

Thank you to all that have read this chapter and stuck with me during my 2 months of "I don't want to write."

JWzipper- Thank you, thank you, thank you, your review snapped me out of my funk and got me writing again, I really appreciate it. When I saw your review in my head I went 'I don't want it to end either…. So here we are :)

radmon2344- is your username based off of a digimon? I don't want Gin to die either, makes me sad. It would be quite ironic if Ichigo and Rukia were trying to pair up Karin and Toshiro, but they got paired up instead.

stellarstar- Of course they are in love, they just have to accept it. I will do my best to keep it up, but as I'm sure everyone has noticed, I'm suffering from writers block.

LiSs3y- I will update when I feel like it thank you very much :P lol

oOoHKoOo- If I had to guess, I would say Kenny is still looking, he doesn't give up easily and isn't good with directions in the first place, even if Ichigo were there. Unfortunately I don't own bleach, which means I don't have access to the things that Toshiro sleeps on. You could probably sneak on set and just snatch em if your quick.

puma1sunfire- I hope you enjoy it

Lady Queria- I don't think Kenpachi would ever figure out that he was tricked, he doesn't have the brain capacity to think things through like that.

xXBleachluverXx- You want a little 'something something' huh? I'll give it my best go. Hopefully this is what you were looking for.

Lunacat13- lol I'm still trying to figure out where to put that 1st person. I don't know how open I am about talking about my personal life on the Internet *hides behind random rock * no offense intended of course.

tichtich2- hey faithful friend of mine. I feel bad for not talking to you more, but I've been insanely distracted, hopefully we are still friends :) pointless chapters make good fillers, and they are fun to write.

soulful100- this is a good question… I haven't really thought about it, I'm sure she has smelled him before, like caught a whiff or something. Also, Toshiro is as dense as a brick wall, and I'm sure Karin is all sorts of confused. They are hormonally confused teenager, they don't notice much.

Gaming Girl- I'd probably be freaked out too, but with her crazy family, I'm sure she's used to the insanity. P.S. Maybe ;)

Switmikan74- *shakes fans * huh I see what you mean. I'm not a hitsuhina fan at all, don't even bring them into this. I'm glad that everyone likes it, I try my best to make it good.

PunkRockHolly- noooo, slow is bad, I'm glad that you liked at least some of it.

Ziryx- hey bud :) I'm gonna read and edit your thing the second I post this, so get ready!

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- That would have been cute, I wonder if anyone would notice if I added that in. Shhh don't tell.

meggie-moo s- It was more about Toshiro making the observance of the bed smelling like him than stating a fact that it did. It was supposed to be kinda cute and fluffy moment after a cracky chapter.

Turtle-chan in Blue- he sleeps in it every night, if probably carries his scent. Karin is sleeping there so she would naturally pick it up. It's an innocent thought.

flipomatic- lolz write more letters

Theoracle-san- I like your advice. I think it's what I've secretly been waiting for someone to say the whole time. How horrible of me is that? I ask for your guys advice when I'm really only looking for a certain answer. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.

HitsuKarin-sama- Thanks :)

Thanks for all of your support.

I have a question for you to answer!

Question: What kind of blackmail should they use on Renji? I'm looking for the craziest thing you can come up with!


	14. Blackmail

Hi guys, I'm going to start trying to be punctual with my posting again, hopefully putting one up every week until the story is completed. (Yea right, I'm such a liar...)

Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys make me feel special even though I did disappear for a couple months on you. All of you inspire me to move forward and keep writing, that's what a good review does.

Flipomatic is always telling me that my reviewers are crazy, and I have to agree, thanks for all of your Renji blackmail ideas, they made me smile.

So I'm sure many of you have seen the poll on my profile page. For a long time, HitsuKarin has reigned supreme, but recently, IchiRuki has started to catch up! If you haven't gone and voted for your favorite couple yet, the time is now!

Disclaimer: :*( - would I be this sad if I owned bleach? I don't think so!

* * *

"Can't we do something new?" Karin asks, allowing a hint of annoyance to creep into her voice. All they had been doing was sword fighting and hand-to-hand, which she already knew. "How about we do something that will help me beat menos grandes easily?"

"Hmm," Toshiro considers what she says, "Fine. How about we have a race? First to go all the way around the border of the Seireitei and get back here wins."

Karin sheathes her sword and smiles widely as she responds, "You're on!"

Toshiro scoffs, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Good."

Toshiro places his hand on a nearby rock and Karin places her hand next to his, "Ready, set, go!" Toshiro shunpo's away, leaving Karin coughing in the dust.

"Hey! She yells after the now gone captain, "That's cheating!"

"What's cheating?" someone asks from behind her.

Karin spins around and glares angrily at the 10th squad captain as he leans against the rock, a smirk growing on his face. "You never said you were going to shunpo."

"You never said I couldn't use shunpo, so we are even."

Karin glares, but accepts that she lost the argument and plops down onto the earth beneath her. "What was the point of challenging me to a race then?"

Toshiro shrugs, "Maybe because I wanted a chuckle. It doesn't matter now, the point is, it is time for you to learn how to shunpo. Usually only captains and lieutenants can perform this move, but the head-captain feels that this is important for you if you are going to fight menos down in the world of the living."

The two spend the rest of the afternoon doing boring training, which I'm sure you don't really want to read about, so I am going to jump to a more interesting conversation going on between our very Rangiku and a very embarrassed Renji.

Rangiku waves the pictures around dangerously, a wide smile on her face. "That's right Renji, you better help us, or these are going on the internet."

"You don't need to do that Rangiku," Renji tries to keep his voice calm, and is watching for a moment where he can snatch back the photos.

Rangiku notices what he is doing, and promptly stuff's all of the photos except for one down her shirt. "You aren't getting these back from me until I have what I want from you."

A random passing soul reaper gives them a look as he passes by, one that says, 'I can't believe you just said that in public!'

Renji sighs in resignation, "What do you want?"

"It's about Karin and Toshiro, I know Ichigo had you read some dumb script to me, but what you do for us is going to have to be improve, and you can't tell Ichigo."

Renji takes a step away from Rangiku, eyeing the one leftover picture once again, "I'm supposed to tell Ichigo everything you're planning… can I still do that?"

Rangiku shrugs, "Doesn't matter to me, he can't do anything from the world of the living. You have to follow our plan though, you can't deviate to his."

Renji nods, "Sure I can do that, as long as those photos get back in my hands."

Rangiku fishes them out of her shikasho, "Yea yea, you're always straight to the point Renji. We are having fireworks in the Seireitei tonight, and you need to lure the two of them on top of a building, together."

"How am I going to do that?"

Rangiku leans in to whisper the plan into Renji's ear. "Rukia and I worked it all out, here's what you're going to do…."

When she is done, Renji nods, and puts his hand out for the photos. Rangiku complies, Renji is trustworthy. She walks away, whistling.

Renji takes a moment to look at the photos, some are from his childhood, others where he didn't put on the right face for a picture. One stands out in particular. In this one, Renji is in the academy, and he is kneeling next to a tree. The weird part is, Renji's mouth is stuffed to the brim with Acorns, and he is wagging his butt like it is a tail. The story behind this, Renji got hit with one too many kidos during practice and suffered from temporary amnesia. He forgot everything, but somehow came up with the idea that he must be a chipmunk. Other pictures of this time include him bounding across the parking lot on all fours, chittering angrily at other students, and flinging Acorns at people who come too close to his tree. Photos complimentary of Rukia Kuchki.

Oh how Renji hates that time.

* * *

Karin effectively shunpos across the field, making much better time than she would have hours ago.

"Not up to my level, but good enough." Toshiro comments. In truth, he is quite impressed with Karin's ability to quickly learn things, but he is too stubborn to tell her. "How about you shunpo all the way around the Seireitei, and we will call it a day.

"Sure," Karin disappears with a poof of smoke, and Toshiro stands in place calmly for thirty seconds. Then, she reappears, almost like a magic trick, this time sporting a large grin.

"Good, let's head back to the tenth squad barracks.

"Waaaiiit!" A voice calls out to them and a very familiar vice-captain runs up.

"Oh, hey Renji," Karin greets the lie tenant and waves.

Toshiro just sighs, the lieutenant never comes just to say hello, "What do you want Abarai?"

"Well you see, Hitsugaya-taicho, Ichigo Kurosaki has come here from the world of the living to challenge you in a one-on-one fight."

"Really?" Toshiro's eyes widen in surprise for a split second before he regains his icyness.

Karin looks puzzled as well, "Ichigo didn't tell me he was going to come up here…"

"Ichigo told me it was a last minute decision," Renji says quickly, "He wants Karin to watch, follow me and I'll take you to where he is."

The two trail after Renji, neither suspecting what was going to happen next.

* * *

Ok, before you go saying it's short, it's over 1000 words, that's not short in my book!

Now some review replies for my most favorite people ever. I'm gong to start bolding peoples names to make things easier on my readers.

**SilveringBlue**- Wow! Thanks for the very original view. Ever since I discovered present tense, I can't write in past. I go to do it and I end up half present, half past. Yea fade to black was the best movie ever! I'm not really a grimmy/soifon fan, but IchiRuki and HitsuKarin all the way. I try to be funny, it keeps people coming back for more, and they aren't always long *points at this chapter* Erm, that would be funny, but instead of pairing up with Rukia, I think Ichigo would just kill Renji in that scenario.

**LadyQueria**- All good, I was having trouble thinking of things too. I think Gin is going to live! That would just be so sad if he died.

**LunaCat13**- No need to apologize, I love long reviews, they make me happy happy happy. Yea it is getting kind of silly, but that's how my mind works I guess.

**Turtle-chan in Blue**- I don't see Renji having a bunny named Carrot, ever.

**PunkRockHolly**- Hmmm about that…. Thanks for the thoughts, Flip said something similar to me, and I'm adding the learning of the shunpo into this chapter. Thanks :) Rukia and Rangiku crack me up too.

**KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913**- hehehe ok, I'm sure they will kiss again before the story is over, no worries.

**JWzipper**- YUP! I enjoy making Renji suffer, I've never really like Renji, he is in the way of IchiRuki. I wish I could just get Renji out of the way, but that would make Rukia sad. He'd be in the way even if he were dead.

**DeeDubb**- thanks for the idea, randomness is always the best.

**MeteorLeapord**- Hee hee thanks for the idea. I used one of yours in the story, I'm pretty sure you can figure it out just be reading. Yea I hate writers block, it's so annoying because I want to write, I just… can't. Anyways, thanks again.

**tichtich2**- Ichigo never has the "right" approach, seeing as he can never really win battles at first. He always has the "losing phase," then the "learning phase" then the "winning phase" in all of his fights. Renji in women's underwear would be funny, now I've got to get that image out of my head…

**anime-lover2410**- Yay! I'm glad that you love it.

**Ziryx**- Yea, no one cares about Renji, he just isn't important enough. I personally don't really like Renji…

**radmon2344**- I love don't stop believing! That song is amazing. I remember the digimon opening, "Digimin, digital monsters, digital charging champions!" That song was so funny to listen to when I was younger. My first fanfiction was a Naruto fic, although… I don't remember which one was first since I used to post on TONFA.

**flipomatic**- Thanks for the review, pretty solid idea, but none that I used. The Byakuya one would be funny though.

Thanks again guys. To all of you who didn't get a reply. If you write me a review, I will respond, even if you just say "hello."

Here's my question for you all this time,

Do you think I should have the fireworks say messages?

If so, what?


	15. Skip Me

This was once an Auther Note, asking for the thoughts and opinions for the story, now it serves as a resting point. A chance for me to go and fix my numerous typos, to hear the thoughts and opinions and readers, and maybe to answer any questions. If you have any, please feel free to leave them in the review box for this chapter, and if I get the same question enough times, I'll put it on here and put the answer so everyone can see it.

**UPDATE: I edited all of the first 15 chapters, fixing some grammer and spelling.**

Something to mention for all you HitsuKarin and IchiRuki fans... lately I've been writing this series called the "How To" series, it features first IchiRuki in the first couple of one shots, and HitsuKarin in a more recent one. They are lively, and I just wanted to let you all know they are there.

_**Skip Me: Please just keep going, click the little next, there is are more chapters after this one T.T I couldn't figure how to delete this one without messing up the rest of the story.**_


	16. Fireworks

So, after much thought, careful rereading of the story, and deep consideration of every review I have received, I am back!

It's crazy really, because I originally set myself a 2 month time limit, with 5-10 chapters, but clearly that hasn't worked out well, as now we are passed the two year point, probably around a year and a half since this story entered its shaky hiatus. Hopefully that will be no more. I hope you all enjoy what I write here.

In case you are an old reader, I am not going to do review replies this chapter, simply because it has been so long since those reviews were written. I will start them up again in the next chapter though.

Disclaimer: After all this time, how many of you really think I own Bleach? If so, you are crazy!

* * *

A hop, skip, and a jump later, and Toshiro and Karin find themselves on the rooftop of the 6th squad barracks.

"Abarai… what's going on?" Toshiro demands an answer, his brow furrowing as Ichigo Kurosaki is nowhere to be found.

Karin glances around, "Maybe he's going to jump out at us. My crazy father has taught him how to do that quite well."

"Eh… well, you see…" Renji runs one hand through his hair awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

He is spared, as a loud BOOM radiates through the seireitei.

Toshiro spins towards the sound, his hand reaching up to grasp his zanpakto's hilt. He pauses, confused, as a sparkle of gold, red, and blue are now lighting up the sky.

Karin looks up at the sky as well, a smile growing on her face. "Wow! Fireworks!"

Another set launches into the sky, with only one exploding, making a clean line across the sky.

"I wonder what it is." Karin states her thoughts out loud as she settles down onto the roof.

"Hey… no one said we were staying to watch these." Toshiro grumbles a complaint, but nonetheless sits down next to the teenage girl. Neither notice as a certain red-haired vice-captain sneaks away into the night.

"It's a 1," Toshiro mumbles.

"Huh?"

"You wondered what it was, it was clearly the kanji for a 1." Toshiro points at the sky as two more cannons launch. "They will probably do a 2 next, covering the kanji for every squad."

Sure enough, two lines appear next, followed by three, and soon every squad is represented.

After 13 fades from view, the sky sits quietly for a few moments. Toshiro glances over at Karin, but her gaze is still locked on the sky, eagerly awaiting the next launch. "You really love these things huh?"

Karin merely nods, she glances over at Toshiro briefly, and he can't help but smile when their eyes meet.

She holds his gaze for a second, and then turns back to the sky. Seconds later, more fireworks shoot into the air.

Once they explode, they appear to be forming some kind of shape.

Toshiro squints trying to make it out.

It appears to be a boy and a girl, with some kind of ball resting on the girl's foot. Another firework launches and a net forms. The ball somehow propels itself forward, landing in the net.

They fade, and Toshiro leans back on his hands. "That was kind of strange," he says quietly to Karin.

"Yea it was like that one soccer game we played," she says.

They fall silent as more fireworks launch. These ones form a volleyball net, four players, and a strange ref on the sideline. The ball goes back and forth, never seeming to hit the ground. More fireworks go off around them, launching gold spirals everywhere that look kind of like sand.

By now, Toshiro has realized that something suspicious is going on. He doesn't say anything though, as the next set of fireworks take on the form of a hollow, and two soul reapers fending it off.

Then comes someone sleeping in a bed, with another person cradled by their side.

One last group of fireworks launches, the grand finale of sorts. Explosions everywhere, groups of spirals and whistlers and everything in between.

Then, out of nowhere, three fireworks take form in the middle of the chaos. One is green, and it looks kind of like a leaf. The other two are red, and they form two circles underneath the leaf.

Toshiro groans as he recognizes the plant that has caused him so much turmoil over these past few days.

He hears Karin chuckles next to him, and stares angrily at the firework plant. He turns to talk to Karin, "I think…" his words are muffled, as lips smother his own.

For a second, Toshiro sits there, too shocked to move. Then, without his mental consent, he is kissing Karin back with everything he has. After a moment, Karin backs off, and they both stare at each other, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," Karin mumbles, "it's just that… we are alone now, and I never know what you are thinking, or how you are feeling, and I guess, that's the best way to find out right?" A deep blush grows on Karin's cheeks, and she stares down into her lap, suddenly afraid of making eye contact.

Toshiro processes her words, surprised at her shy reaction after she so boldly kissed him.

After a moment of not saying anything, Karin stands up awkwardly, trying to escape. "I'll go now, I'll see you later Toshiro."

Karin takes one step away before Toshiro is on his feet, one hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Wait," he pauses, thinking through his words carefully. "Don't go…"

Karin turns back to the white haired captain, giving him a chance to speak. "Yes?"

Toshiro gulps, losing his usual confidence. "I guess… I don't know how to describe how I feel in words."

Karin shrugs, but she doesn't get to talk as Toshiro adds, "I can't figure you out. I can usually read people easily, tell what they are up to and what their plan is, but not with you. I never know what you are thinking, and…" Toshiro trails off as he sees a smile spread across her face.

Instead of talking more, Toshiro brings Karin in for another kiss, initiating it himself. After, they sit back down, looking up at the sky. The firework smog has cleared, leaving a starry night.

"So… now what?" Karin asks Toshiro as they lay down onto their backs.

"I don't know…"

"What? You're the captain, I thought you knew everything. Here's an idea, ask me out on a date."

"Wow, you Kurosaki's are always right to the point."

"Yup…"

Toshiro sits up, placing one hand on Karin's, "Fine… Karin Kurosaki, would you please accompany me on a date?"

Karin closes her fingers around Toshiro's hand as she responds, "I would love to Mister Toshiro Hitsugaya."

With that over with, Toshiro lies back down, and the two comfortably stare at the stars, hand in hand.

"Those were some weird fireworks," Toshiro comments after a while.

Karin agrees, "I bet Renji had something to do with it."

"We'll track him down." Toshiro promises, and then a yawn racks his body, "tomorrow."

The two teens drag themselves off of the roof, and Toshiro safely navigates them back to the 10th squad barracks. They sneak passed an unconscious Rangiku, and into Toshiro's room.

He isn't comfortable enough to climb into bed with her, so he settles onto the floor. "Good night Karin," he whispers to her as she climbs into bed.

"Good night," Karin echoes back.

* * *

_Day 6_

"Abarai… I will give you to the count of three to tell me what is going on." Toshiro holds Hyourinmaru out dangerously, pointing straight at Renji Abarai's throat.

Renji scoots backward with a nervous chuckle, but finds himself backed up against a wall. "Well, you see…"

"One," Toshiro counts slowly as he bores his gaze into a captured Renji.

"Two,"

"Thr…" Toshiro is cut off when Renji waves his arms and shouts, "All right, I'll tell you."

Toshiro sheathes Hyourinmaru, but keeps a close eye on Renji. "Ok, talk."

Karin steps out from around a random corner, "Oh, you found him, great!"

Toshiro nods, "He was just about to tell me what is going on."

Renji nods, resigned to his fate. "It's a bet. Between Ichigo and Rukia. Rukia said she could pair the two of you up, and Ichigo said he could keep you apart. The time is one week, loser has to jump off the bridge naked in soul reaper form."

"A bet…?" Toshiro feels his jaw slacken in surprise.

Karin laughs at this new information. "That sounds like something they would do. I have a prefect idea! I'm going back to the world of the living later this afternoon, so when I'm around Rukia, I will say we got together, and when I'm with Ichigo, I'll say we didn't. It will be a great way to get back at them. I'm sure Rukia will get you into the world of living for the last day of the bet, in order to smear her victory in Ichigo's face."

"That's a great plan," Toshiro marvels at how fast Karin came up with that. He sets his face in a grim line and redirects his energy at Renji. "You… don't tell Ichigo that we know, or those chipmunk photos that you hate will be on the internet faster than you can say munch munch. Understand?"

Renji nods once, not saying any words as a chilling aura surrounds him.

"Good. Now, let's get you ready to go back to the world of the living." Toshiro and Karin walk away, leaving Renji slumped against a wall. He lets out a huge sigh once they are gone, relieved to have made it out of the run alive.

* * *

Yay for long chapter! I hope they weren't too ooc, but I am realizing in order to get a pairing together, if they aren't cannon, they have to be ooc.

In case you were all curious, Toshiro has a copy of Renji's chipmunk photos that he got from Rangiku a long time ago, in case she ever needed to give the originals back to Renji.

I want to thank the following people for helping me in my time of need:

SasuNaruFreak13, Kage uingu shukun, TheEditorFromHell, Bri105, RukiaRenji4ever, WillDieForever, 0namakiza0, xNightDreamerx, HitsuKarin-sama, MorganBanner, flipomatic, bandgirlz, animeluv XD, Rosii, PunkRockHolly, HitsuKarin Lurver, xXSakurakazeXx

I wouldn't be posting this now if it weren't for all of you, so thanks!

Hm, something to vote on.

Should Ichigo and Rukia catch on to what Karin and Toshiro are pulling on them, or not?


	17. Who Is Going Off The Bridge?

Hi again everyone! So I'm back for one last huzzah, one final chapter to close up this very interesting section of my time in fanfiction. I hope you all enjoyed the story and I deeply apologize for the lateness and craziness about updating after chapter 14.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story. You all mean so much to me and I would never have been able to get through this story without you.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Never once, in any of these 16 chapters have I owned Bleach. Never in the future will I own Bleach. I've accepted it and now you must do the same…

* * *

_Day 7_

As Ichigo cracks his eyelids open slowly, he realizes this is his first peaceful morning in a long time. His alarm clock reads 10:59 am. Ichigo set an alarm for 11 the previous night and lets out a sigh, groping out with one long arm to flick the alarm switch from on to off.

The clock clicks to 11 and Ichigo flops back down onto his bed, taking a moment to absorb the peacefulness of the morning. A few birds are chirping and light streams in through Ichigo's window.

Ichigo feels a grin tug on his lips as he thinks about his conversation with his younger sister the previous day. She arrived home from the Soul Society before dinner and purposefully stayed at the table longer than necessary to have a heartfelt chat with her only brother.

_Flashback_

"_Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Karin keeps her gaze on the table as her voice echoes around the room, for a moment Ichigo thinks he imagined it._

_Ichigo sits down at the table warily; his thoughts drifting to what she may have been up to in the Soul Society. "What is it Karin?"_

"_It's just… you know a lot about relationships, so I thought you might be able to help me."_

_Ichigo's eyebrows furrow together at the anxiousness he is picking up from his usually extremely confident younger sister. "What happened?" He clenches the edge of the table, leaning in slightly._

"_While I was the Soul Society Toshiro and I got into a huge fight, he said he never wanted to talk to me again but I don't want to give up my friendship with him because of some stupid fight."_

_Ichigo's gaze softens as he sees true concern on Karin's face. "If I were you I would give him a call and try to work things out."_

_Karin nods, "alright I will, thanks Ichi-nii. I'll call him later."_

_Ichigo freezes in his seat, "you should wait until next week, I heard the Soul Society is doing many joint exercises over the next few days, plus you want to give Toshiro a few days to cool down."_

"_Good idea, he'll be easier to talk to once he has time to think things over." Karin stands up, a grin returning to her face. "Thanks again, I'll see you later!"_

_Flashback Over_

Ichigo sits up on his bed; he only has an hour until a certain someone is going to jump off a bridge. Since Karin and Toshiro got into an argument, his victory is assured.

Ichigo gets ready quickly and soon finds himself at one end of the bridge.

The Karakura Bridge is 15 feet above the river, runs 100 meters long, and Ichigo stuffs his hands into his pockets as he peers over the side, trying to determine where he will make Rukia jump.

"Good to see you are on time today," a bright voice rings out from the other end of the bridge. Ichigo's head snaps up and he isn't surprised to see a certain black haired Soul Reaper waving with a large bosomed vice captain standing behind her holding a large video camera.

Ichigo slouches and takes a few large steps to meet the shorter teen in the middle of the bridge.

Rukia walks forward as well with Rangiku right on her heels. She stays silent for a moment, smirking up at the carrot top.

Ichigo grins back, "I was thinking and I'm feeling generous today, so you can keep your underwear on."

Rukia's smile wavers slightly, "what are you talking about, I won fair and square!"

Ichigo takes a small step towards Rukia, tilting his head down further to stare into her deep violet eyes. "I talked to Karin yesterday evening and she confirmed that she is not in a relationship with Toshiro."

Rukia holds Ichigo's gaze evenly, forcing them into a staring contest. "I talked to her just this morning and she admitted to getting together with Toshiro in the Soul Society."

"I wonder why I don't believe you." Ichigo leans down even further, his nose practically pressed against Rukia's but he barely notices as he tries to force the truth out of his shorter friend. Both have forgotten about the video taping Soul Reaper watching them with great amusement.

"Guys…" Rangiku steps towards the two but Rukia ignores her.

"Maybe you would have noticed how close they are if you weren't so oblivious." Rukia's lip pulls back slightly, daring him to respond.

"Eh! I am not oblivious!" Ichigo leaps back, pointing and waving his arm around rapidly. "Who knew to still rescue you even when you said no? Who knew exactly where Orihime was taken? You are the oblivious one!"

"What?!" Rukia is enraged now, all rational thought going out the window. "That is the most… ridiculous thing I've ever heard! How am I oblivious?"

Ichigo blubbers for a second, trying to come up with something to say. "You just are!"

Rangiku steps between the bickering teens with a determined expression on her face, "guys, please stop for one second!" Ichigo and Rukia both fall silent so Rangiku continues, "We ran into Karin just a few minutes ago, and I just so happened to turn my camera on while she was talking, so we have proof."

Ichigo's arm drops and he walks over to Rangiku wordlessly as she turns on her camera.

Rangiku starts the first saved movie in the camera's memory. The lens is pointing at the ground but Ichigo can clearly hear Karin talking with the two Soul Reapers.

"…_and then he took me onto a roof to watch some fireworks, he was so romantic! He confessed that he has had feelings for me ever since we met and after that we kissed! We cuddled for the whole night on the roof, then the next day I had to leave. I hope I get to go back soon…"_

Rangiku stops the camera, leaving Ichigo shocked. "Why would Karin tell me they had a fight but tell you they got together?"

"Maybe they can explain," Rangiku motions to one end of the bridge, where Toshiro and Karin have now appeared. Their hands are entwined as they walk slowly, Karin appears to be giggling at something Toshiro said.

Ichigo's eyes narrow at the two teens. He steps towards them, his arms crossing as they come to a stop in front of the angered Substitute Soul Reaper.

Karin glances up, boldly meeting her older brother's gaze. "Hey Ichi-nii!"

"Karin… Toshiro…" Ichigo tries to make himself seem taller and more intimidating. "Why did you lie to me yesterday?"

Rukia steps towards them as well, wanting to put a layer of protection between Toshiro and the practically steaming red head.

"Abarai filled us in," Toshiro's response is brief and to the point.

Karin adds, "We really are dating now."

"Renji!" Ichigo shakes his head and takes a step back, "He betrayed me."

"Actually, your boy Renji has been working for me for the past few days, so he betrayed both of us."

Karin's smile grows when she sees a spark flick from Rukia's eyes to Ichigo's. Rukia grins at the taller teen and a few unspoken words pass between them.

Rangiku cuts in for the second time that day, "so who is going to jump off the bridge then?"

Ichigo feels a weight drop into his stomach as Rukia's eyes light up.

"If I recall, the bet was whether or not Karin and Toshiro got together this week, which Karin recently told all three of us they have." Rukia takes a daring step towards Ichigo, a mischievous fire in her eyes. "I'm feeling generous today, so you can keep your underwear on."

Ichigo gulps, glancing at his sister, who smiles innocently back. So much for family support…

"What if we did something else instead?" Ichigo shoots Rukia a pleading look and she pauses, intrigued.

"I'm listening…"

"Right… What if we got Renji and threw him off the bridge instead?" Ichigo squeezes his right fist so tight that he can see his knuckles turning white.

Rukia pauses, turning towards Rangiku for her opinion. Rangiku smiles evily, then nods once.

Rukia turns back to Ichigo, staying silent for a few extra moments to torture the carrot top. "That'll work I think, we did get betrayed, it's time for revenge."

* * *

"Make sure to point your arms in a dive position when you reach the bottom, we don't want you breaking any bones now." Rukia snickers as Ichigo struggles to restrain a partially stripped Renji.

It had only taken a day or two for Ichigo and Rukia to invade the Soul Society, kidnap Renji, and then return to the bridge with Toshiro, Karin, and Rangiku hauling her trusty camera. Renji is now shirtless with his pants pooled around his ankles. Rukia reaches down to tug them off and shoots Rangiku a thumbs up when they come free.

Rukia drops the pants and grabs Renji's feet while Ichigo shifts so he is holding Renji by his wrists. "You get to keep your underwear." Rukia winks and Ichigo shakes his head in disgust.

"No one wants to see that…"

Behind him Toshiro leans in to whisper something to Karin and she giggles, punching Toshiro lightly on his shoulder.

Ichigo's head snaps around, a hot fire lighting his gaze, "just you wait, once this is over we are going to have a serious talk about this!"

Karin nods but waves her hand dismissingly, "yea yea, sounds good Ichi-nii."

Rukia tugs on Renji's legs, drawing Ichigo back into the scenario. "Let's throw him on three."

Ichigo nods and steps back to Renji is completely stretched.

"You don't need to do this," Renji's nervous voice draws their attention.

Rukia shakes her head, "you betrayed us, you have this coming Renji."

Ichigo and Rukia slowly start swing Renji back and forth at the end of the bridge.

"Wait!" Renji's complaint falls on deaf ears as Ichigo starts to count.

"1…2…3…" Ichigo and Rukia release Renji at the same time and watch him plunge over the edge of the bridge. They can faintly hear a loud, "aaaaaah," but it could have been the wind.

Renji catches air for exactly 3 seconds before splatting into the water.

Ichigo winches, "he didn't do it diver style."

Rukia glances over the side, "we should go fish him out."

Ichigo nods, shooting a glare over his shoulder, "the three of you should stay here, we'll be right back, and no touching!"

Karin takes a small side step away from Toshiro in consideration to her brother but she shoots Ichigo a glance that says she thinks he is crazy.

Ichigo turns away, satisfied with the distance between his sister and the white-haired captain. Rukia has already started to walk away so he trails after her.

They reach the underpass of the bridge rather quickly but Renji doesn't seem to be floating on the surface.

Ichigo narrows his eyes, trying to peer to the bottom of the lake.

"Well… go get him!"

Ichigo only has a few seconds to comprehend Rukia's words before he finds himself shoved off balance, falling towards the flowing river. Fortunately for Ichigo, he has had years of training in the ways of fighting and has become very fast. Ichigo smoothly turns and latches onto Rukia's arm, causing her to fall into his chest as his back hits the river water.

Rukia feels Ichigo's arm tighten around her stomach as they sink into the water. He kicks up from the bottom of the lake and the two come up laughing. Rukia is still pressed to his chest, and for a moment Ichigo doesn't really feel like letting go. However; the two start to sink again so Ichigo releases the smaller teen with a silent sigh, then realizes the water is only around five feet deep. He places his feet down, but it is too late to get Rukia back into his arms.

Rukia turns around, trying to stifle her giggles. "I can't believe you did that."

Ichigo smiles warmly, enjoying the fact that he can stare into her violet eyes. "I can't believe you pushed me in."

Rukia places one hand onto Ichigo's chest, nudging him playfully, "you did lose the bet."

Ichigo nods, finding it impossible to get angry at the firecracker standing in front of him, "I did…"

Ichigo finds himself leaning down, completely captured in Rukia's eyes. Much to his surprise, Rukia isn't backing off, if anything she is getting closer.

Suddenly, a mass of red hair rises between the two teens. Ichigo's gaze shifts downward and he comes face to face with a soaked and half naked Renji Abarai. Well that's a moment ruined…

Renji jumps up, "I am never going to try to help either of you again…" Renji climbs out of the water and unceremoniously storms off.

Rukia and Ichigo watch him go, then turn back to each other, both smiling at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Ichigo suddenly feels a rush of bravery and warmth fill his chest. He leans down quickly, capturing Rukia's lips with his own.

Ichigo's kissed a few girls in his time but never a Soul Reaper. Rukia's sweet strawberry scent wafts into his nose as she kisses him back, and then it is over.

Ichigo pauses, but feels relieved when Rukia grins up at him. "I guess we will have something to tell Toshiro and Karin huh?"

Ichigo nods, swooping down at kiss Rukia once again. "Maybe they've made a bet about us?"

Rukia laughs, "Maybe."

* * *

That's it, the end! Thanks to everyone who read this!

Well all I can say is please leave a review telling me what you thought of the story.


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